


Tis the Season

by TaangyChocolate



Series: Magic Fam and Krampus [1]
Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League Dark (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas adventure, F/F, F/M, Magic Foster Family AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17150948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaangyChocolate/pseuds/TaangyChocolate





	Tis the Season

Resting her cheek on Pam’s arm, Raven didn’t pay any mind to her smushed up cheek. Instead, she warily watched the road speed by through the windshield, the edges of her vision covered by the siren’s flowing sleeves. The girl yawned, more of boredom than actually being tired and glanced up at the redhead. Pam glanced back and ran her fingers through her sorta-niece’s inky hair, humming as she noted that the light wasn’t entirely green as they passed through the intersection.

They passed the third car dealership in two minutes and Raven piped up, “Why are we doing this again?”

“Aw _c’mon_ , Ray Ray!” Harley stopped at the light and turned to the back, grinning at her two most favorite people, “Don’t try to tell me you _didn’t_ love wrapping Batsy’s cars with bubble-wrap.” 

The girl smiled but had to ask, “Didn’t you guys already have to leave Gotham for a while? Like, just a few months ago?”

“Yeah,” Pam sighed out, “But you see, Moonbeam…” She punctuated the nickname with a kiss atop the empath’s brow, feeling the girl’s giddiness as she pulled away, “When you’re married to Harleen Quinzel, mischief is never more than a month away.” 

Blinking in understanding, Raven nodded and laid her head back down. She watched the wipers slide back and forth. They left a streak that looked like the rental place’s logo and she spoke, “I _like_ mischief.”

Pam sighed as she saw Harley’s eyes brighten in the rearview mirror, the blonde’s excitement palpable. “Harley, we’re not doing this again--”

“Winter Road Trip!” 

Raven hid her growing smile against the redhead’s arm, her seatbelt keeping her from teetering over as Pam reminded them both, “I don’t need Zatanna after us again.” She met her wife’s gaze in the rearview mirror and sighed as the puppy-dog routine started. 

“Harley…”

Beaming at the slight acceptance that wove its way into the redhead’s voice and the excitement that shone on her daughter’s face, the ex-clown quickly turned into a drive thru and parked the car. Unbuckling her seatbelt and all but pouncing into the backseat, Harley cackled as she wrapped her arms around Pam’s shoulders, placing an obnoxiously sloppy kiss on her freckled cheeks. 

She pulled away and batted those baby blues at her wife, “One-day road trip?”

Pam felt Raven shift against her other side and turned to the girl, a groan escaping at the nearly identical wide eyes that gazed up at her. Still, the rogue was _not_ about to let them be chased all over the highway again and shook her head, “No.”

Raven pouted, “Awww…” She cut herself off as Harley winked at her and leaned in front of Pam, stage whispering to the girl, “I know how to get through to her. On three, yeah?”

Indigo eyes were bright as the empath nodded, “Right!”

Harley started to rub circles underneath her wife’s ear. Pam tried to ignore it, her emerald gaze suspiciously darting between the two and landing on the blonde as she counted, “One,” 

“What are you two--”

“Three!” 

Barely holding back her less than child-friendly curse, Pam instead let her head fell back as two tear-filled sets of puppy-dog eyes batted up at her. Groaning that she couldn’t even move her arms on account of the hug she was sandwiched in (oh _why_ must she have fallen in love with such sneaky little blue-eyed darlings), the botanist’s resolve crumbled at the two quivering lower lips that practically begged her for another mini vacation. 

She lasted all of two seconds. Honestly, she blamed it on Raven; at least when she had only beggar she could last for at least ten!

“Fine. But--” Pam stopped her words at the dual cheers that she got, a laugh escaping as the girl accidentally let her happiness project into the car. Chuckling herself, Harley clambered completely up into her lap and Raven giggled as she was lifted into the blonde’s arms. 

Pam wriggled, comfortable at having her family in her arms yet trying not to get squished underneath them both, and started up again, “But only for half a day. And we should probably _know_ where we’re going this time. We’re not even an hour from Constantine’s apartment and he’s gonna be waiting for us. We can’t be late.”

“Hmmm…” Harley hummed as she smushed her cheek against her wife’s, her pursed lips giving the redhead a near-kiss as she thought. Pam chuckled and pecked her love once, pulling back to peer down at the demoness, “Any ideas, Moonbeam?”

Raven looked up, her face half concealed by the fuzzy sweater that Harley wore. After a moment her eyes brightened and she announced, “I can teleport us!” 

Harley pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and Pam raised a brow. Raven eagerly looked up at the two, feeling the rogue’s unspoken willingness to the idea. Sure, she and Harley knew the girl was strong, but she had to be sure. Just in case. 

“All of us at once?”

Nodding, Raven sat up, “Yeah, like this!” Her eyes focused on thermos of hot chocolate as they glowed white. The women watched as the thermos was consumed by pure darkness and then, a second later an inky portal plopped it back out into the cup holder up front. 

“See!” The demoness’ face was proud and she clasped her hands in front of her chest, trying to contain her sudden restlessness. A thought came to her and she faltered, “But it’d probably easier if we don’t use the car…”

Shifting until she sat up straight, Pam ignored how the two giggled and pulled out her phone. She reached up and to the left until she got a good enough signal, furrowing her brows as she took in the map. “There’s a rental place a few blocks thataway,” She pointed past the restaurant, a smile curling her lips as Harley kissed the inside of her glove.

Emerald eyes flicked back to Raven and she booped the girl’s nose with her fingertip, “We’ll drop the car off real quick and then you can take us somewhere warm, okay?”

\--

The receptionist behind the unnecessarily tall counter smiled at the trio and let the girl take a candy cane as they walked out the rental place. Raven shyly waved back at her, swinging the arm that held Harley’s hand as they made their way to the side of the building. 

Pam shivered and cuddled closer to her wife, sighing happily as she got a sip of cocoa. She met Raven’s gaze and smiled, “Ready to go?”

Nothing but red cheeks and bright eyes, Raven eagerly looked between the two women, her magic buzzing just under her skin in her excitement. A tendril flicked out and zapped a nearby streetlight and the girl paused, taking a deep, calming breath before she asked, “Where should we go?” 

Pam immediately piped up, already shivering without the car's heating, “Can I request somewhere warm?” 

Her voice shook in the cold and Harley cooed, lovingly kissing her ruddy cheek and murmuring, “Remind me to get ya a heat lamp, Babe. You’re nearly as red as your hair.” Her gloved fingers ran over her wife’s cheek and the blonde turned back to Raven and their still swinging hands. 

With one hand perched on her chin, the girl’s eyes were shining in the snow, shifting from sapphire to indigo to nearly amethyst as she thought of a destination. Finally, her brows jumped and she popped the candy cane out of her mouth, clarifying, “Somewhere _really_ warm?” 

“Ya heard the lady, Darlin’,” Harley squeezed the mystic’s hand, “Outrageously warm and sunny for our Ivy!”

Raven bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, concentrating. A second later a perfectly circle portal opened a foot in front of them, the magic as dark as a raven’s feathers. Harley tugged the two in after her, her laughter choking off into astonishment as they landed on a bumpy patch of igneous rocks. 

Pam sighed as the heat washed over her, squinting at the sunshine in her eyes. Harley let out a breathless laugh, “Oh fu--” She held the vowel as Pam elbowed her side, “--uuuudge that’s a volcano.”

A hiss of steam answered her and the three bunched together. If she had to guess, they were in Hawaii. Namely, right on the side of one of its soon-to-be-active volcanoes. The ground rumbled under their feet and Raven nervously chuckled, warily eyeing the long-sealed cracks of cooled lava that they stood on. 

Pam allowed herself one last deep breath of smoky (but tantalizingly warm) air before letting out a squeak as the ground rumbled again, “Hey, Moonbeam? How about somewhere a bit less…” She waved her hand towards the volcano’s mouth and the girl guessed, “Full of lava?”

“Exactly.”

Not a hundred feet away, the volcano gurgled, a stream of charcoal smoke filtering up into the air. Three pairs of wide eyes stared at it for all of half a second, then Raven took a deep breath, murmured her mantra, a formed another portal under their feet. 

Harley coughed as they were hit with another burst of heat, drier this time. 

A sound, almost a whining gurgle, rumbled near their feet. The blonde looked down and let out a loud laugh, startling the giraffe even further and making the acacia’s branches shake. Harley stifled her chuckles and rested against her wife's arm. She ignored how one of the branches creaked, sighing, “Gods above I love this kid.” 

Raven leaned down to try and pat the giraffe’s nose, giggling as she nearly toppled over when the creature moved, focusing on another branch. She turned back to the two rogues, her smile faltering at the worried way Pam glanced at the ground below them, nearly fifty feet below. The girl bit her lower lip, worried, “Are we too high up?” 

“Just a bit.” 

Harley plucked a leaf off a branch and stuck it behind the mage’s ear like a flower, “Don’t worry, Ray. Third time’s the charm, eh?”

Tugging at her coat’s collar and wiping at the dry sweat that had already started to cover her forehead, Raven nodded and murmured to herself, “Somewhere warm but not too warm, high but not too high…” 

She thought of a few weeks back, and the midnight Discovery Channel binge she and Dad had spent the night watching. Her eyes brightened and, a perfect place in mind, she chanted her mantra as another portal opened for them. Pam grabbed one hand and Harley the other and the three toppled through, singing out a “Bye Mr. Giraffe!” as they left the scorching heat and tumbled into the warm inside of a cave. 

The rocks scuttled along the ground as they landed, the vibrations echoing around the cave and raining powdery dust onto them. Coughing away that dust, Harley beamed as she spun in a circle, taking in the chalky stalactites that hung above them. She unbuttoned her coat and let out a laugh, one that echoed throughout the cave and all its nooks and crannies, spinning in a circle. 

The other two were not as daring, especially with how cold the cave was. Raven held onto the redhead’s hand as they spotted a carved inscription, its words faded from erosion. There was a chill coming from above them but heat from below, so Pam intertwined her fingers with the girl's as best as their mittens would allow. “Alright, stay with me, okay?” 

The little demoness nodded and Pam called out behind her, “We’re heading in further, Harls. You ready?” 

“Y’all can go on just gimme a sec,” The two started walking deeper in, hearing as Harley tied her coat around her waist and jogged up next to them. The woman stuffed her mittens into her pockets, catching Raven's attention.

“Aren’t you cold?” The girl's fingertips were just barely past the point of tingling, even with all the layers she wore.

“Nah,” The blonde looked amused. “Ya see, while I run hot Red gets weaker in the winter -- plant stuff, y’know? So that means I don't need layer after layer like you two. Also means I get the best spots for cuddlin’ too.” She batted her lashes at her wife as Pam added to the mystic, “And magic or not, _you_ haven’t mastered the art of being a human furnace just yet.”

Nodding in understanding, the girl rubbed her hands together, hiding her smile. Harley noticed and held out her hand, “Lemme check that you're not turnin’ blue, Birdie.” 

She pulled the small palm up towards her face, finally noticing how much light she already had. Blue eyes softened when she didn't spot any discoloration and she took out her phone, turning on the flashlight. Checking her over one last time, she waved off the mage’s reminder that “I have healing powers,” with a “Well, _yeah_ , but no need to make ya use them yet.” 

Pam bit her lip as she looked around them, recognizing the dull shades of color on the wall as her eyes adjusted to the partial-darkness, “She’s all good?”

“Mmhmm…” Harley put her phone away, her lips pursed in thought as she thought aloud, “And unless we're higher than I thought we shouldn't be getting so much light down here.” She glanced at her kid-niece, “We're not underwater?”

Raven shook her head, “A few hundred feet up, actually.” 

Harley nodded then craned her neck up to gaze at the ceiling, her aquamarine eyes widening at the way the tips of these stalactites shone like jewels. Sure, they wouldn’t be worth anything in terms of money, but they looked so pretty… The blonde ran her tongue over her teeth and let her sight briefly flick to Raven, “Think we could get a little higher?”

A few feet away Pam tuned out their conversation, all her attention on the slabs of rock that surrounded them. The walls were painted on raised grooves, detailing a story of some sort. They were a drastic turnaround from the deeply carved inscriptions that lined the cave’s walls; these showcased short humanoids fleeing from fantastical hoofed creatures in gigantic icy forests. They shed their wings as they were trampled from above, hiding everywhere and anywhere they could. 

Pam seemed drawn to the depictions of snow-covered megaflora, her brows raising as she softly traced the leaves with the tip of her finger, “These are so old…” She murmured to herself, just barely recognizing that her wife was carefully balancing on one of Raven’s portals, reaching up for one of the stalactites. 

She felt Raven’s attention on her as she started walking, slowly taking in the carvings as they played out, the vines gaining bells and the trees sprouting jewels. Before she could get too far the empath called out, “Do they have any words?”

“Not that I can see,” Her hands kept brushing the rock and she nearly stumbled as Harley let out a whoop, the sound stopping her before she got too far in. Emerald eyes watched as Raven brought the disk of black magic down and, easily jumping off and landing on her feet, Harley pocketed the tip of stalactite. She bounded up to the wall and nudged her wife, fondly taking in the curiosity on the rogue’s freckled face, “Wanna go exploring?”

Reluctantly, Pam shook her head, “We shouldn’t…” 

But there was the unmistakable scent of nature coming from further inside and the redhead _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that she’d love it once she was there. Harley kissed the outside of her shoulder and Pam remembered that they weren’t alone and turned back to Raven. 

The girl’s face was just as curious as her own as she looked over the paintings. Sapphire eyes flicked to the botanist, practically amethyst in the dim light and the redhead knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. Sighing, Pam took one last glance at the painted walls, biting the inside of her cheek, “We’ll go further in, but we have to stay together. The last thing we need is to get separated.”

Her gaze flicked from her wife to her informal daughter and back again, “It’s already six so we’ll look around for an hour or so. Don’t need your mom after us again.” 

Her lips spread in a smile as Harley pumped her fist, crying out, “Ya heard the lady! Hop on, Darlin’!” 

Giggling so hard she snorted, Raven took a running start as she jumped up and onto the woman’s back. Pam laughed and ran a hand through the blonde’s rapidly unraveling ponytail as her wife nearly buckled, “She’s getting big, huh? Soon she’ll be taller than you.” 

Harley snorted at that, the sound nearly a wheeze as she tootered. It took a moment but Harley eventually found her footing, straightening up as she balanced Raven’s weight on her back. A lazy string of chuckles bubbled in her chest as the empath wrapped her arms around her neck, her happiness shining through the cave. Pam hummed as she grabbed her wife’s hand and began walking further into the cave, her steps slowing as the light got dimmer and dimmer. 

The cave started to slope down and they stayed near the walls, pressing against the rock for balance. A dip in the ground made the botanist stumble and Harley nearly dropped Raven as she caught her lover’s elbow. An orb of black magic helped stabilize the trio before the lump they stood on gave way and they skidded down a few feet. 

Pausing as they regained their balance, Harley licked her lips, “How far d’you think this cave goes?” After a second, Pam let out a huff, grabbed her hand and softly said, “We’re gonna find out but one more time, we _gotta_ be careful.”

Keeping the air light despite their near fall for who-knows-how-far, Harley turned her head and kissed the demoness’ cheek, “Mini Zanna, your healing powers still work, right?” 

“Yeah, why?” Her eyes were practically amethyst in the increasingly dimming light, wide and worried, “Did one of you get hurt?”

“Nah, but I’m just worried that Red’ll worry her pretty little freckles off.” She grinned at her wife, bringing another wave of carefreeness into the space as she held out her hand, “Nothing’ll happen, Love. We got this.” 

Pam clicked her tongue, “If this was a horror movie the audience would be screaming at us to turn back now.”

Harley wiggled her fingers, “Ah, but if it _was_ a movie Hollywood wouldn’t let us be this self indulgent.” Raven tilted her head in confusion until her cheek rested on Harley’s shoulder but the blonde only pecked her nose, snickering as she intertwined her fingers with Pam’s and started further inside the cave.

They got approximately a minute and a half’s worth of walking before the ground gave out under Pam’s boot, sending the woman falling onto her butt and plunging into the cave’s darkness. Harley cried out her name and Raven sent out a beam of magic for her to grab, but she missed. 

Yelping as the slope abruptly curved downward, Pam angled herself with the ground as she was hit with a blast of heat and the scent of dirt. Shifting her weight back, the redhead leaned into her slide down the slope, hearing but not being able to respond to Harley and Raven shouting her name. 

Lucky for her, the unexpected ride lasted all of a few seconds but undoubtedly nearly a quarter of a mile. Coming to a stumbling, sliding, ungraceful stop Pam jumped up, ready for anything. It took all of half a second for her shoulders to droop as a gasp forced its way out of her lungs. Pupils wide within her olive irises, she blinked as she took a few steps forward and looked around, her mouth agape at the sheer amount of _thriving_ plants around her. The most brow raising were the vines that held cherry-red grapes, but mushrooms and other fungi were aplenty, lining the sparse, spongy grass and mold that made up the cave’s floor. 

Interestingly enough, cracks revealed a few thin slivers of light and some freshwater pouring in near the corner, somehow illuminating the cave enough to see. With that sight Pam noted that planks of salt kept the gleaming piles of valuables a few inches off the ground, just far enough away from the damaging moisture.

She turned her head, smiling as Raven called out to her. Harley finished her slide and smoothly landed, her face softening in relief at the sight of her wife, safe and unscathed. Jogging to catch up, the blonde stepped beside her and let out a low whistle, letting the girl drop to the ground and squinting as she noticed and tried to count how many piles of treasures laid before them. Uneven disks of coarse gold, amulets dotted with jewels in desperate need of polishing, the honeycomb shaped blocks of petrified amber, blocks upon blocks of salt cubes, and semicircles of geodes. 

Raven was the first to step forward. Her indigo eyes wide as she craned her neck this way and that, taking everything in. Unlike her aunts she didn't focus on the golds and jewels that the room contained, but on the deteriorating tapestries and flaking murals that lined the walls. 

“Whoa…” Raven, too stunned to fly, took another step forward, her nose wrinkling as the soles of her boots sunk into the grass. Through the stuffy heat of the plants there was something _magical_ lurking in the cave, and the girl was drawn to it. Stepping carefully over the swatches of mushrooms and crimson moss, she padded closer to the wall of tapestries and the pile of jewels directly in front of it.

As she explored the rogues busied themselves with walking around the cave, prodding at the odd jewels and strangely carved gold coins. Harley nudged her wife with her hip, pointing at the fruit on the vines, “Remind ya of mistletoe, Love?”

Pam bit her lip, not even trying to keep the smile off her face as she pecked her wife's lips, “Mmhmm.” The two pulled an inch apart for just a second then stole another, longer kiss, letting themselves fall into the embrace and putting everything else out of mind. 

So much so that they lost track of just how close Raven had crept to the eerily hanging tapestries. The girl’s sapphire eyes zoned in on a carpet half-buried by jewels and salt, her small hands outstretched. Curious, the demoness asked aloud, “What’s this?”

Pam noticed too late and raised her arms, her voice loud and worried, “Raven! Don’t touch--”

The golden tassel twitched as a pale fingertip brushed against it, shying away and curling into itself. The whole pile of jewels shifted and Raven let out a squeak as the redhead scooped her up into her arms. 

Harley snuck up behind them, peering over Pam’s other shoulder as the carpet shifted, scuttling out from underneath the valuables. All three of their heads craned up as it unfurled to its full height and Raven let out a huff as Pam squeezed her tighter against her chest. 

It was a tense few seconds as the rug seemed to stare at them, its tassels tilting to the side. The animated carpet bent at a ninety degree angle, curiously wiping at Raven's cheek.

Pam shooed the tassel away but the girl’s eyes brightened as she raised her hand to pet the carpet again. A smile spread over her lips, “I think it likes me,” she whispered to her aunts. Harley held out a hand and it hesitated, curling away an inch. The demoness let out a pouting sort of hum and grabbed the blonde's hand, “She's okay.”

The carpet seemed to whine (could carpets _whine_? It didn't seem right putting sentient terms to a piece of fabric) but inched closer, but let the ends of its tassel sniff (again, sentience was such an odd measure for something like this) over the rogue’s hand. Raven softly pet the top of the carpet and cooed out, her voice calm and nearly meditative, “None of us are gonna hurt you.” 

The rug seemed to understand her words, if not the wave of serenity that languidly ebbed in the cave, projected by the empath herself. It shook itself out and lifted off the ground, hovering at the mage’s eye level as she kept up her scratches.

Harley leaned against Pam’s shoulder, one hand wrapping around her wife’s waist and subtly grabbing the tail of the girl’s coat, just in case. She murmured into the taller woman’s hair, “I’m getting Aladdin vibes. Can’t tell if they’re good or bad.”

The redhead whispered back, “Me too, but you think it’s safe?”

Despite still being cradled in Pam’s arms, Raven didn’t appear to notice their hushed conversation. Instead, she carefully let a crackle of magic hover on her fingertips, her brows jumping as the carpet nuzzled against her fingers. 

Pam shifted the girl in her arms, moving her weight from one foot to the other as her wife left her side and walked around the rug, taking in the meticulously done stitches. A smirk slid on Harley’s lips as she fiddled with another tassel, “D’ya think two hyenas are worth at least one tiger?”

Raven snickered at the reference and leaned her head back until Pam’s chin met her hairline. She blinked up at the woman and wriggled, relieved when she was put back on the floor and immediately went back to observing the carpet as soon as her sneakers met the moss again. The carpet rose another foot and the girl let out an eager sigh that sounded more of a coo, moving underneath the fabric to feel the bumpy stitches. 

The redhead sighed and, with her arms free, crossed them over her chest as she reluctantly took in the still floating rug. She bit her bottom lip and rolled it between her teeth, acutely aware of how quiet the cave was beyond them. The trickle of water was a steady _drip! drip! drip!_ and the spongy grass cried out under the mystic’s boots, but everything else was eerily silent. Almost as if by interacting with this carpet they were now being watched. Harley noticed as well and did a quick look around the room; when she saw nothing, she rested her crossed arms on top of the carpet, leaning as if she was perched against a counter. 

Harley gave her wife a familiar look, one that said, ‘I know this place is starting to look sketchy, but we’ve dealt with sketchy before. Think of the stories, think of the adventure, think of the _hijinks_ , Red!’

Emerald eyes playfully rolled as her shoulders loosened; beaming at the sight, the blonde hugged her wife’s arm and batted her lashes up at her. Pam kissed her nose, “Hijinks or not, we should think about leaving soon,” The botanist’s gaze flicked around them one last time. The cave was long abandoned but the dark and the sheer amount of things left behind made her uneasy; one didn’t survive in Gotham for so long without realizing how precarious shadows and enclosed spaces could be. _Especially_ when they seemed deserted. 

Harley pecked a particularly triangular patch of freckles on the side of her jaw, her lips tense as the rogues felt _something_ there with them. Their eyes met and, accepting that that something was _not_ a bit of the girl’s magic the redhead decided, “We’re leaving now.”

“Yeeeeep!” Harley popped her ‘p’ as she untied her coat from her waist, keeping her gaze right above Pam’s shoulder, on the dark exit of the cave. Raven pouted but didn’t complain, petting the carpet one more time (and yanking out another strand of a sapling’s roots out of its fabric). Harley helped the mage put her mittens back on and nodded at her kid-niece, “All ready?”

Indigo eyes flicked one more time to the carpet, her irises getting exceptionally wide as the material curled sadly, looking like a lost puppy. Still, she forced herself to look away and took a steadying breath. “I’m gonna miss it,” Raven softly admitted, her hands coming up in front of her chest as she closed her eyes. 

And as the girl prepared to summon a portal, that feeling of being watched went away. Secure that it was far enough for now, Pam bit the inside of her cheek and touched her wife’s waist, “Well… I never said we had to leave the _carpet_.” 

Two sets of blue eyes turned to her and Pam felt a smile curl on her lips. Whatever it was, it seemed to be content merely watching from the dark; surely using the girl’s powers would scare it off a bit. As if it didn’t, well the carpet may be faster and safer than a hastily made portal to who knows where. 

With that in mind, Pam tilted her chin to the rug (and pointedly ignoring how it perked up, its tassels starting to practically _wag_ ) and met her family’s gaze. Briefly, she wished she had those chipped Volkswagen keys in her hand again, “We haven’t taken a test drive in quite a while.”

The smile turned into a full blown grin as she cheekily added, “And what’s a family road trip without a drive?” 

Harley cackled, pressed a sloppily loud kiss onto her freckled cheek and jumped onto the carpet, cartwheeling and landing on her butt. The carpet didn’t even dip under her weight and she looked over her shoulder at the two, giving a mock salute and shouting out a battle cry, “To mischief!”

Carefully lifting Raven onto the fabric (while repeating the call “To mischief!” with her, just quieter), Pam got settled in, eyeing the stalactites above them and the solid two feet of air below them. Harley kissed the outside of her coat and met her stare, her sapphire eyes bright yet serious, “Looks like we’re all clear for now.” 

Ivy nodded, turning back towards Raven as both women kept the cave’s exit and that murky darkness in sight. “So,” The redhead drawled, comfortably pulling her sweater’s sleeves down past her gloved knuckles, “How exactly are we getting out of here?”

Still tottering around the carpet to test its stability, Raven’s head tilted to the side as she felt _something_ calling to her from within the woven strands. A hint of magic that she _knew_ , comfortable and controllable. The carpet’s tassels twitched as she instinctively grabbed the corner closest to her and the carpet shot forward, startling all three of them. 

After a second of wide-eyed staring of the pile of geodes that they had flown over, Raven guiltily glanced back at the two rogues, her hesitation palpable. But at the encouraging nods to her unspoken worries the girl took a deep breath and focused on that inkling of magic again, her lips curling to a smile as the carpet inched to the right, smoother and slower this time. 

The mage furrowed her brows as she steadily maneuvered them back the way they came, up over the sloped floor and out towards the cave’s opening. The light on Harley’s phone shone the path, the skidding imprint of Pam’s fall and the hidden notches on the dirt of whoever had been to the cave before them. She felt but didn’t react to the brief waves of worry and adrenaline that consumed her aunts as they glided in the darkness. Likewise, she didn’t mention the odd shift towards relief as the tingle of someone spying on them left, herself included. 

As they passed over the carved inscriptions Raven heard the _crack!_ as Harley snapped off another piece of stalactite and dove lower, easily gliding them up towards the scent of fresh air and seawater. Popping out above a snowy cliff, Harley let out a whoop and squeezed Pam in a hug, giggling as they soared up into the air. Raven didn’t laugh but she did grin, crouching down to steer the carpet better. 

They quickly got up over the rolling fog that blanketed the shoreline and Pam pulled Harley closer as the cold air hit them, burying her now-red nose in her wife’s shoulder. Squinting against the wind, she noted a beam of light against the rapidly darkening sky, “Is that a lighthouse or an airport?” 

“Think it's a lighthouse,” Harley paused as she glanced up at the cloud-hidden constellations above them and smelled the salty air, “We’re probably still on the east coast, then. That's not too far from home.” 

Raven jerked the carpet a bit as they just barely missed crashing into an eagle. The girl let out a surprised squawk and the bird screeched out indignantly in return. Pam hid her face in Harley’s shoulder again and tried not to laugh. Harley didn’t even try to conceal her cackles as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, the stars becoming blurrier and blurrier as they soared closer to the cities.

By the time they got further inland and up to skyscraper range, half blinded by how bright office lights were through the windows, they had gotten a hang of the flying. Raven did most of the work, of course, although Harley had tried her hand once or twice. The controls were as easy as driving; tilt left to go left, tilt right to go right, hope to all hell everyone is holding tight when a certain someone accidentally makes an unplanned loop. Raven was almost freakishly adept right off the bat; used to such oddities, the rogues reckoned it had to do with more magical means and left it at that.

And it wasn’t hard to brush the magic aside at the view.

On her knees right at the carpet’s edge, Harley lifted her arms and let out a laugh, tossing her head back as she enjoyed the mist of the clouds brushing past them. With the sleepily blinking lights of the suburbs below them (if she’d had to guess they were probably just near the edge of Maine’s border) and the blindingly bright glow of the moon above, she wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't dreaming.

Snowflakes drifting all around them, flying high above the city, a magic carpet of disputable origin, her wife and basically-daughter curled up with her... It was positively _whimsical_. 

Pam had taken to reclining in the center, one hand holding her wife’s ankle and the other resting on her stomach. Her emerald eyes lazily darted around, going from the visible craters on the moon to the blackness of the sky to the bright specks of stars and finally to her kinda-sorta daughter. 

The night sky was splotchy, for lack of a better word. Dark enough not to notice the different shades if one wasn’t paying attention. Pam thought of when she had painted those pots at Arkham, namely how finicky it was getting just the right shade of gray. How painting over the previous coat only did so much from keeping the clay from looking like mismatched paint blots. And silhouetted against those blots of mismatched shades of black, Raven herself was really getting into the spirit of things, her giddiness practically flowing off her in waves. 

She held out her small hands as the clouds’ fog passed by, giggling despite how cold her face was. The redhead smiled at the sight. Raven started humming as she watched the drops of water vapor cling to her wool mittens and the ends of her hair, the sound making Pam’s smile widen to a grin. Harley heard it too and started to hum along, belting out her version of the lyrics a stanza later: 

“Ya hear that, Red! We can show you the world!”

Raven giggled at her enthusiasm, rubbing at the snowflakes that coated her lashes. “Do you think someone thinks we’re a shooting star?”

“They gotta, Ray Ray! We’re shining,” She pointed to the moon, “Shimmering,” her fingers waggled in the stars’ direction, “ _And_ splendid.” The blonde turned to peck the girl’s forehead and aim a wink at her wife. Pam didn’t get up but she did chuckle, the sound bringing up a fog from her mouth in the cold air, “You _dork_.” 

“C’mon, Mrs. Isley-Quinzel!” Her blue eyes were energetic, “It's a whole new woooorld!”

As she tried to hit that high note her voice cracked, the sound dry but ignored as she held the syllable for as long as she could. The ex-clown ended her short-lived performance with a flourish timed with Raven's giggles, gracefully falling back onto her back and beaming at her wife. Whether it was the singing or the lovestruck look in her eyes, she got a snort and the pleasure of seeing Pam propped up on her elbows, the end of her loose braid pooling on the carpet as she deadpanned, “I’m _pretty_ sure Disney's gonna find a way to sue us for that.” 

Harley matched her grin until her eyes squeezed shut, cackling into the air, “Of course they would! We’re jewish!”

\--

Despite the chaos that was Raven's impromptu road trip with the rogues not even half a year ago, Constantine could honestly say that he trusted the two to keep his daughter safe. Whether his mind was biased by their brief partnership at Arkham or not, it was obvious to everyone that they had fallen for the demoness almost as hard as he and Zee had; he knew they’d keep her safe no matter what, despite their less than savory track record.

So, when Poison Ivy sent him a text saying they'd be an hour or two late along with a picture of Raven and her hot chocolate mustache, he didn't let himself worry too much. In fact, he snickered at the sight and sent it off Zee’s way, knowing she’d need some laughter as she got closer to the end of her Christmas shows. Three hours later, as the snow started to fall just a bit harder and the end of Pam’s deadline loomed near, he began to worry.

So, when he heard his phone start to ring at the exact same time as someone knocked from _outside_ his balcony window, his heart skipped a beat. Coincidences weren’t ever really coincidences, not in NYC, not in Gotham, and _especially_ not in his magic family’s little life. 

So, when he pushed the curtains aside to the sight of the three on a _flying carpet_ , he simply took out his lighter and lit a cigarette. Raven beamed at her father and he blew out a puff of smoke, unlocking the door as wide as it could go as they glided in. 

His aquamarine eyes narrowed at how the carpet curled its edges to prevent the door’s frame and he aimed a pointed look at the other two adults, “I take it you three had fun?”

“Yeah!” Raven put both palms on the rug and it softly landed on the floor. She sprung up and hugged her father’s midsection, giggling at how her cheeks and the tip of her nose tingled as she started to warm up. 

John ruffled her hair as he hugged her back, his stare shifting from the rogues to the carpet they flew back on. Before he could start asking, Pam shakily got up and said, “We went exploring and ended up finding it.”

She used Harley’s hand for balance as she padded to the couch, sleepily plopping down on the cushions and scrunching her nose as the scent of tobacco hit her. Harley rested her hip on the couch’s back and ran a hand through her wife’s hair, “A sea cave up top, closer near the border somewhere.”

Pam sighed, “Such beautiful paintings, too.”

“Mmhmm,” Raven nodded in agreement and sheepishly nudged the tassel off her boots as she looked around the room, “We were on Anticosti Island.”

The Brit’s brows jumped as he thought, his gaze flicking to his daughter as she explained, “We watched that documentary on sea caves a few weeks ago.” Free from her mittens, her fingers twiddled in front of her stomach as she added, “I thought of going to that half-underground one but this one was warmer _and_ magical…”

Harley smirked, “Had a museum’s load of gold and jewels in it too.” Pam flicked her wife’s knee and opened her mouth to speak but ended up sneezing instead. 

“Ya okay?” The blonde’s face was concerned as she moved to sit next to her lover, cupping her face and frowning at how clammy her skin was, “Lookin’ paler than usual.”

“Just the cold. You know how I get during winter,” The redhead’s assurances were undercut by two more sneezes. 

Raven sat on Pam’s other side and motioned towards the kitchen, “Seussit, ni ym dnah!”

As Pam covered her face and fell into another bout of sneezes, Constantine looked up from the carpet, his lips tugging down in concern. “I’m pretty sure Selina’s place isn’t that far from where Zee’s at,” John gave the women another half-second’s worth of a glance, still engrossed in the magic that was intimately interspersed within the carpet’s fibers. 

He rolled his jaw as the carpet jumped when he tugged at the tassels, continuing, “Her show should be finishing up soon and she and I need to figure this out. Make sure nothing leaked over to you, Luv. I’ll text her and then we can drop you two off on the way.”

“Can we take the carpet?” Raven’s eyes were pleading as she gazed up at her father and the demonologist sighed, “Only if it doesn’t freeze Ivy on the way there.”

Pam weakly smiled, her cheeks red and her shoulders wobbling as Harley wrapped her up with the throw-blanket, “I’ll be fine.” 

\--

The snow wasn’t as bad as it could be, but still chilly enough for Raven to sit in Pam’s lap as she steered the rug up over the skyscrapers of NYC and towards Gotham. Pam had her arms wrapped around the girl like an oversized teddy bear, her shaking lessened with Harley and Constantine blocking the wind from reaching her. 

It was especially helpful as they glided through and on top of the clouds, the snowflakes clinging to their clothes as the moon shone on them. Despite the rather languid motions of flying, Constantine was active and almost talkative as he continued to study the carpet, namely how Raven’s powers seemingly weren’t _necessary_ for it to fly. 

The Brit carefully ran his fingers over the stitching; the pattern was incredibly old and the knots that laid just above the tassels were obviously Latin. But the undercurrent of magic, that source that was inherently a part of the carpet, so powerful but he just couldn’t decipher it. His lips moved, mouthing bits and pieces of spells and prayers as he pieced together certain tiny sections. 

“Raven,” His voice was worried as he tried to determine just how powerful the carpet was, if a mere patch the size of his fingernail contained so much raw energy, “How much magic are you using right now?”

Blinking at the lack of nickname, the mystic quickly answered, “Just a tiny bit. Basically nothing at all.” 

Harley rested her chin on her wife’s head and spoke into the wind, “She didn’t need magic when we first found it.” 

Raven nodded eagerly once then stopped, feeling Pam grumble as she pulled the girl closer. And the corners of her lips twitched up, even though her stomach flipped at the concern that her father didn’t even try to hide from her, “I just kinda let a little zap out and I can control the direction it goes really easily.”

She paused, her head tilting to the side as another detail came to her, “I don’t really _think_ about how fast we go, but the carpet seems to just know.” 

Constantine’s face hardened at that and he wrapped an arm around Pam, using his shoulder to block the wind from her face as he leaned forward and took a long look at his daughter. The demoness warily flicked her gaze from him and the sky, straightening her shoulders as the carpet dipped a few feet. 

Her father pressed his lips to her temple and sat back up, letting the empath feel his relief as the very outskirts of Gotham (and the black clouds that cloaked the city, although John was almost entirely sure they were smog) started to appear. Holding back a comment on whether the moon turning red could be excused on Christmas, Constantine touched the stitching again, “Take us below the clouds, Luv. Don’t want to breathe in too much smoke.”

Harley snickered, “Ya would know, Manchester?” 

Pam hid her smile in the girl’s hair, her smile turning to giggles as Constantine snorted indignantly at the nickname. His attention off the carpet, he quipped back, “Blimey, are you _trying_ to start a war?”

Pam joined in, “Oh, the three of us seemed to like it. That joke not _United_ enough for you?” 

Harley laughed outright and Raven tried to hide her smile as the Brit exaggeratedly shook his head. Before his hand could go to his pocket (whether for the joke to continue or for a real smoke break), she reminded him, “The wind’ll blow it out, Dad!”

Constantine bit his lip to keep his smirk from getting too big and leaned on one palm, watching the tops of Gotham’s buildings as they entered the city, “At least there’s _one_ smart nutter here.”

In fact, Raven was so smart of a nutter that she remembered the way to Selina’s apartment without any directions, even going so far as to glide them just over the edge of East End so that the others knew they weren’t trouble. Harley perked up the further inside Gotham they got, her lips pressing against Pam’s temple, “Just a few more minutes, Darlin’... Then I’ll find wherever Cat keeps her whiskey and make ya something awesome and warm.” 

Pam laughed at that, already feeling warmer that the prospect of not being out in this cold any longer. She burrowed closer against her wife as Constantine began shifting around again, so immersed in his renewed analyzation of the rug that he didn’t realize he was letting the heat escape. 

But she didn’t have to endure the cold for long as Raven stopped the carpet just above the third siren's balcony. “Is this okay?”

“Of course. We may be good now but ya know Red and I can still sneak in anywhere,” The blonde was lively, whether at the prospect of warm food or being alone with Pam after such an odd day, no one could be sure. Regardless, she tilted with Raven as the girl balanced the edge of the carpet with the snow-covered railing. 

“Bye-yah Ray Ray!” Bracing herself, Harley jumped backwards and blew her kid-niece a kiss mid-air as she fell to the balcony. Pam, not nearly as hyper (especially not in _this_ cold), kissed the demoness’ temple and carefully slid off the carpet’s edge, huffing happily as her wife caught her in her arms. Constantine only offered a grunt and a half-hearted wave as the redhead was placed on her feet, still busy trying to decipher the odd but incredibly (and increasingly, he worried) powerful magic that was woven into the carpet’s fabric. 

Raven scrambled up onto her knees, waving hard enough that her hair fluttered about,  
“Bye you two! And stay warm, Pam!”

“‘Course she will, I’m gonna make some cocoa moo for her!” Harley wrapped an arm around her wife’s shoulders and leaned on the railing as she waved at the girl, “Once you two’re done come visit, alright!”

Constantine raised his face, “We left your presents at Zee’s place. We’ll stop by later.” 

Raven beamed at the news, her cheeks nearly as red as Santa’s hat as she waved one last time at the couple, waiting until they had broken into the apartment to fly off. 

Up high enough to be eye to eye with the very top of the Clock Tower, Raven leaned against her father as they soared through the air, her eyes nearly closing as she enjoyed the cold wind on her face. Her indigo eyes snapped open as Constantine briefly took control of the carpet. The Brit let out a coughing sort of laugh as he finally translated a tiny patch of the carpet, one that reacted with his magic better than the rest of the fabric. 

As he kept fiddling with the tiniest understanding of whatever the carpet was, Raven let her eyes flutter shut. She rested against his side, connecting just enough of her magic to keep the rug flying steady but letting her father take over the steering. After a few minutes, something shone bright red behind her eyelids and the demoness looked down, her whole face brightening up at the sight of a _very_ familiar sign.

Her fingers dug into the carpet as she whisper-yelled, “Da-aaaaad!” 

Without looking up, Constantine sighed out, “Don't even think about it, Luv.”

Still, the girl leaned her shoulders forward, her stronger control making the carpet start to tilt towards the famous (well, infamous if you asked a certain Brit) department store. She ignored the resigned scoff that Constantine didn’t even try to hide, instead gazing excitedly at the white letters, “When did Gotham get a JCPenney's!”

“Since the mayor needed it to match the blood moon over the city.”

Raven laughed and shook her head, “I'm being serious! Why didn't anyone tell me about this!”

Constantine declined to mention his magic bribe to Robin and his even bigger loophole infested deal with Batgirl. Instead, he feigned ignorance and shrugged, his words not entirely convincing, “I don't know, Luv.”

The empath was too excited to care about his obvious lie, “We can get another rug there!”

He lifted her up and back to the center of the carpet, starting to redirect them back to the way towards where Zee's show was taking place. The Brit clicked his tongue, “As magically horrid as retail is, I doubt there's another flying carpet at that hellstore.”

“But what if our carpet gets lonely?” The girl’s eyes were pleading as she was painfully reminded of the rug's sad curl when they almost left it in the cave. At the quirk on Constantine’s lips, she decided to take Harley’s route, giving her father the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster (and even sniffling! Although that was more an effect of the wind, but he didn’t have to know that) as she made her case, “It'll be like getting a second dog when the first one gets lonely!”

John snorted at the analogy, trying his hardest to avoid his daughter’s face, lest he crack immediately, “More of a taxidermied one, anyway.”

The carpet wavered under them, circling over the intersection as they bickered; a dip towards JCPenney's, a dip towards Zatanna's show, and back towards JCP and whoops, nevermind going to Zee again. 

Their department store tango was interrupted by Constantine’s phone vibrating out, making the carpet stutter in surprise. The mage immediately piped down and sat quietly, suspiciously idle as her father answered the call, “Hey, Zee.”

She started to discreetly scoot towards a side of the carpet, tugging Constantine’s coat and telling him, “Tell Mom I say hi!” 

He nodded and spoke into the phone, quietly running his hands over the stitching again. Over the wind, Raven could only hear bits of pieces of his side of the conversation. “This thing… old… a cave up near Canada… Harley… they’re okay… early Christian… at least… centuries…” 

However, she had her own pressing issues to attend to. So the girl kept scooting, not stopping until her father’s back was to her. Grinning, she gradually turned the carpet back towards the obvious destination choice and urged it to fly faster. After only a few all-too-short seconds Raven pouted as she was yoinked up into Constantine’s lap, aiming an annoyed frown his way as he murmured into the phone, “Yeah we’re on the damned thing now.”

He rested his chin on her hair, a smirk curling his lips as the empath harrumphed and JCPenney’s light faded in the distance behind them as they flew further into Gotham. Zatanna’s voice sounded through the phone and Constantine pulled the device from his ear, turning on facetime. 

Raven blinked, a smile brightening her face at the sight of the magician, “Mom!”

Zee smiled back, relieved that nothing seemed to be wrong, “Hey, Blackbird. You doing okay?” As she spoke the magician tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, taking in the redness of her daughter’s cheeks and the awkward, sheepish grin she gave as she said, “Yeah, we found a magic carpet.”

“So I’ve heard. There haven’t been any… problems so far?”

Raven shook her head, “Not really. It gets colder when we’re above the clouds but jackets help. Oh! And it listens to me pretty well, but it got stubborn when Harley and I kept trying to do a loop.”

The parents’ gazes flicked to each other at the way the girl described the carpet and Zatanna licked her lips, mulling her words over for only a moment, “It got _stubborn_? And you’re still on it?” 

She took a quick breath and shook her head, unable to keep the worry out of her voice, “John, how high up are you?”

“About 180 meters.” Raven scrunched her face and the Brit amended, “About 600 feet, I’d wager. We’re skimming some buildings.” He briefly tilted with his daughter, starting a path to avoid a crane resting against some scaffolding. Raven waved at the hi-vis clad skeleton crew and he gave a mock-salute to their stunned stares, sighing into the phone soon after, “Rae’s right, Zee. This thing’s ‘listening’ and not behaving on its own.” His cerulean eyes were hesitant as he held her gaze, “Been pretty flawless since Pam and Harley dropped her off, too.”

The demoness looked encouraged at their conversation, “Does that mean--” She caught herself, her shoulders wriggling as she implored her parents, “Do you think we can keep it?” Above her, Constantine clicked his tongue. Raven aimed her wide, hopeful eyes the phone’s way and Zee sighed out, “We’ll see.”

Her sapphire eyes were soft at her daughter’s pout and she explained, “There’s still way too much that we don’t know about it, Honey. Namely who made it and why it was _hidden_ in a cave?” The mystic shook her head, “Not to mention that you needed magic to start it in the first place? And that it may be _sentient_?”

The Brit used the girl’s head as a chinrest, agreeing, “Gotta make sure it’s safe first, ya little bugger.”

“But that’s still a maybe, right?”

Zatanna ran a tongue over her teeth and Constantine squinted into the distance for a second, speaking after a moment, “It’s a maybe to the maybe.”

Humming as she accepted that was the best she’d get for now, Raven cuddled closer to the Brit, sighing and watching the fog that came up from her mouth. Constantine angled the phone so she could still talk to the magician, scoffing as Raven abruptly changed the subject, “Hey, Mom? Did you know Gotham has a JCPenney’s?”

Zatanna raised a brow, an amused grin stretching her lips as she glanced at her lover’s face. Chuckling at the sour look on his features, she nodded at her daughter, “Afraid so.”

That got her a heavy sigh as the empath dramatically stood so she could toss her hands in the air. Still, she couldn’t contain her snickers as she bemoaned, “Of course you did! Why didn’t anyone ever--”

The girl stopped mid-sentence, barely holding back her gasp and steadying herself by clutching Constantine’s coat as the carpet wavered; a burst of cold air hit them in what could only be described as turbulence, even though they weren’t even a thousand feet up in the sky. Raven furrowed her brows, uneasy at the sensation. She hadn’t experienced anything like _that_ with Harley and Pam… 

Zatanna narrowed her eyes at the screen, looking at the mass of clouds just beyond her family’s shoulders. Something was flying above the snow-laden clouds, far too small to be a plane or even a helicopter but way too large to be any bird. 

The carpet tootered again as they hit even more turbulence. The shadow disappeared, leaving the gray clouds their regular hue. 

“Hold this, Luv,” Constantine handed her the phone and took control of the carpet, flying them high above the buildings. He squinted at the fleeting shadow that soared through the cloud directly over the Clock Tower and turned perpendicular to the building, trying to keep the object in sight. 

Another burst of turbulence, this time accompanied with a obvious skimming of something against the sky. It circled around, its trail through the clouds a near oval as it kept the carpet at the very center. Zatanna squared her jaw and told her daughter, “Blackbird, aim the phone towards that thing.” 

Raven did as she said, hooking her arm with her father’s as she balanced on her knees. Still, she kept the mystery object in frame as she spun around, murmuring out, “It’s flying really fast…” 

Constantine brought the carpet up a few stories higher, not stopping until they were nearly half a mile up, “Give us a little boost of speed, Rae?” The girl sighed out her mantra and they jolted back as the rug picked up its pace, nearly toppling over at the change in speed. The Brit kept control, leaning his head back to hear as Zatanna asked, “Any idea if it’s a plane, John?”

He bit the inside of his cheek, “Don’t think so, but I can’t get a good look.” 

As the object’s path curved to Constantine’s back, a circle of light began to glow near its bottom. Faster than a heartbeat, the light pulsated, tripling in size and brightness. Raven’s eyes widened as a blast of light was fired at them, shoving her father’s shoulder and making the carpet tilt out of the range of fire. 

“What is _that_?” Fed up, the magician commanded through the phone, “Sduolc, etapissid!”

Unfortunately, the shadow moved with the opening clouds, its dark form turning nearly white as it camouflaged with the heavily falling snow. A second gleam of crimson gave away its location and John sharply turned the carpet, nearly sending them into a loop but just barely avoiding another blast of pink light. “Bloody hell!” He swore, a thick fog blowing out of his mouth. His voice was gruff as he shouted, “Zee, call Batman!” 

As the magician hastily pulled an assistant aside and hissed at them to call the commissioner, Raven sucked in a breath through her teeth, wincing at the shrill alarm that rang out underneath them, “I think the movie theater’s on fire…”

The girl squawked as the carpet jolted again, her indigo eyes widening as she got a perfect view of the beam of magic, striped red and white. It was pink by the time it missed them by mere inches and blasted into the side of an apartment building, but the girl paid the destruction no mind. 

The object kept circling, but now, those candy cane stripes in mind, she recognized the shape. It fired a few more times, taking a loop or so with each blast but missing each attack. Breathless, Raven conceded that she wasn’t seeing things and mumbled to herself, “Is that a _sleigh_?”

Neither of her parents heard her, instead focusing on them not being decimated by their hidden enemy. Frustrated, Constantine cursed, “Just what the bollocks was _that_?”

It powered up for another blast, it’s bright red orb glowing illuminating the clouds. A batarang soared through the air, making the shadow hesitate just long enough for a flash grenade to go off in the opposite direction. All three of the mystics let out a sigh of relief and Raven let go of her father’s arm, gratefully waving in Robin’s direction. She closed her eyes and focused, feeling the familiar inky press of the Batman’s aura closing in on the blasted apartment, along with the warmth emanating from Babs, right in the center of the chaos, herding the crowd of theater-goers out of the street.

She watched the sleigh changed its direction to counterclockwise and took action, catching Robin’s eye and motioning towards one of the taller apartment blocks. He nodded and took off in a sprint, soaring through the air as he grappled to where she advised. The Boy Wonder landed on a roof, rolling to keep his momentum and cartwheeling off the other side. The mage took a meditative breath and spoke her mantra, “Azarath, mentrion, zinthos.”

Then, her eyes glowing white, she brought up a series of disks. Robin jumped from the roof, his grappling hook scratching next to a gargoyle and retracting as he soared to the height of his jump. He just barely held back his grin as he used the black magic as stepping stones, easily landing on the carpet and knocking into the girl as Raven maneuvered it into his path. 

Constantine didn’t pay their extra passenger too much mind, still frantically trying to maintain a visual on the shadow as it zipped around, changing its route in random directions. Robin’s face was firm as he took in the blasts’ damage, critically observing everything he could. Especially with this vantage point, he noted that the blasts were certain to avoid anything with white lights. 

Satisfied that neither Batgirl nor Batman were having trouble controlling the situation and relieved at the flashing red and blue lights that surrounded the area in the blast radius, Robin turned most of his attention back to his friend. He didn’t hesitate to voice his immediate concern, getting right to the thick of the problem, “You think it’s after the carpet?”

Raven bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about those paintings that had captivated Pam earlier. She had only gotten a bit more than a glimpse at them, but she was certain of what she saw; keeping her gaze on the sleigh, Raven sighed at the feeling of Robin watching her. The Boy Wonder raised a brow and she admitted, “Dad thinks this carpet is super old and more powerful than the usual stuff we use. And I’m pretty sure whoever’s on that sleigh wants that magic for themselves.”

Robin’s brows jumped behind his domino mask, “ _Sleigh_?” He looked worried for a second, keeping the object in his sights as he considered her theory and the implications that it brought, “The Justice League’s dealt with Santa a few times before, Rae, but he’s always been an _ally_.”

“I know, but this is different. Someone _hid_ this carpet, Robin.” She thought of the cave’s location, “Somewhere just cold enough to be like the North Pole especially during winter but not too far in case they had to hide in plain sight.” 

She turned to blink at the boy, the corners of her lips quirking down, “I don’t know if that’s Santa on the sleigh, but we need to figure out what’s going on.”

“Before Gotham gets blasted with more Christmas spirit?”

A wry smile curled the demoness’ lips, “Don’t you fight supervillains all night? Has anyone who destroyed _this much_ ever end up being the good guy once they get what they’re searching for?”

As if on cue, another blast took out a telephone pole, knocking it into a lamppost. A sickening _crunch!_ preceded a man’s horrified shout of “My car!” and Robin met the girl’s eyes as she wrung her hands, deciding, “We’ll pick up Mom and head north.” 

Her indigo eyes were shining as she urged him, “I know there’s a lot going on…” The sleigh-riders must’ve had a sense of humor, as another blast soared over them, taking out a billboard. Raven swallowed, “But I need you guys to see if there are any myths about small people who could fly. They must’ve lived in the snow a long time ago, during if not before early Christianity.” 

The masked bird nodded, his head tilting as Raven continued, “And ask Pam, she looked at those paintings the longest.”

“Yeah?”

She answered his unspoken question, “We left her and Harley at Selina’s place. I know that you’ll be busy here…”

“C’mon, Rae,” Robin gave her a reassuring smile, taking out a flashlight and tossing it B’s way as the carpet soared over the apartment complex again. “We’re pros.” His gaze flicked down to the crowded street, obviously worried despite his mask hiding his eyes, “Do you feel any injuries?”

The empath closed her eyes, her lips curling down at the surge of panic that flooded her senses, “I’m not feeling any physical ones. Mostly emotional and mental traumas.”

Robin nodded and prepared to jump, “Alright. We can deal with that.” He rolled his shoulders, tracking a building coming up, “Isn’t your mom’s show only a few minutes away? You and Constantine get her and head to the North Pole. I’ll make sure someone at the Justice League fills you in with any details.” 

Raven reached out and touched his shoulder, “Thanks. Clean up here and I’ll call you once we’re over the ocean.” She paused, reconsidering, “The cave was on Anticosti Island. You think they’d be waiting for us to stop by there again?” 

Robin let out a “Hmmm…” and sighed, squaring his jaw as another blast connected with a satellite dish, “You’d do best staying hidden until you reach the North Pole.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye, “Want me to get Alfred to send you the radar, so you don't ruin any sailors’ days?”

That got a smile out of the empath and she eagerly nodded, “You’re the best.” 

He grinned over his shoulder at her, “I know.”

Scoffing but unable to keep the relief off her face, Raven touched Constantine’s coat, guiding the carpet as close to the building as they could afford to go. Robin took out his grappling hook and Raven called out, “Don’t get cocky, Boy Blunder!” 

A laugh was her answer. As soon as he was off the carpet and gliding through the air, the demoness was back at her father’s side. She took the phone out of his pocket, meeting her mother’s frazzled gaze, “Mom!” John lifted his arms and she climbed into his lap, her hands encasing with black magic as the carpet shot off, nearly doubling in speed. 

“They’re gonna distract it. We need to get you and get out of Gotham right now,” Everything about the girl screamed of her determination and her parents kept quiet, keeping a watchful eye on the shadow as flash grenades, smoke bombs, and spotlights kept it from tracking them. 

Constantine rolled his jaw as an idea came to him, “Zee, can you make the clouds close up again?”

The magician nodded and jogged outside, waving her wand and commanding, “Sduolc, esnednoc!” The dark sky and milky moon were covered as the snow-clouds gradually fell back into their original position and Zatanna glanced back at her phone. Constantine touched Raven’s hands and directed the carpet down to the street, soaring so low that the bottom of the carpet nearly touched the street signs. 

Zee leaned against the doorway, tossing on her coat as more and more snowfall covered the street. She glanced back at her family, recognizing a building’s tangle of blinking red and green lights behind them and asking, “You guys almost here?” 

“About a minute away. Want us to pick you up?” Constantine warily looked up towards the still snowing clouds, hiding the shadow from their sights. Of course, they also kept it from figuring out where the carpet was, so those masses of vapor were absolutely appreciated.

Zee seemed shocked at his words, “What-- John you know I’m going with you.”

The blond raised a brow, “Yeah, but we don’t know _where_ that thing is, Zee. Raven might need to just make a portal instead so they don’t blow us to bits while we’re sitting ducks.” The girl looked up at him and nodded, trying to calm herself enough to focus on making her portal. 

One indigo eye peeked open as the magician said her name, “Don’t, Blackbird.” Zatanna’s sapphire eyes were serious as she stared at the two mystics on her screen, “I don't want her to exert herself too much.” Her hand came up as the girl looked ready to argue, “I'm not saying you can't do it, Love, but you're our best bet with this magic carpet and we can't sabotage that in any way.”

At the nods her answer got, she continued, “I'll go up on the roof and jump on as you two pass, alright?”

John nodded, “We’ll keep it steady for you.”

Zee winked at them and ended the call, stepping out into the snow and pulling her wand out from her belt loop. Checking that the street was clear, she said a spell, “Etativel ot eht foor!”

She knocked the packed on snow off her boots as she levitated, her eyes narrowing as she watched the sky. The dark gray clouds were still full and snowing, luckily with no laser-wielding shadow in sight. Then, a blip of color; a crimson and gold rectangle with an overcoated man and a scarfed demoness, waving their mitten-covered hands in the air at her. 

Zee took a deep breath, watching as Raven slowed the carpet down. She counted their path in her mind as they approached, mouthing the words as they closer and closer with each second, ‘ _One… two… three!_ ’

The roof wasn’t as slippery as it could’ve been and she took a running start, crying out, “Elbuod pmuj!” 

She ungracefully stumbled into the Brit as she awkwardly landed, rolling until she came to an upside-down stop and blinking past her hair at the two members of her little family. A relieved smile curled her lips as Raven all but jumped on top of her, hugging her neck and asking if she was okay, her hands glowing blue just in case. 

Zatanna lifted her as they sat up, kissing the girl’s temple and murmuring, “I’m fine, Blackbird,” against her skin before she opened her free side for Constantine. He chuckled as he kissed her cheek, hugging her with one arm as he guided the carpet higher and higher into the sky. They wouldn't break the clouds until after they were out of Gotham, but still he had to say, “Didn't know you were a Mario fan.”

The magician sighed as she tucked her wand away, warily glancing at the rapidly increasing distance between the carpet and the ground, “Yeah, well, this day is just _full_ of surprises. Might as well add to it.” She shivered as Raven moved to help Constantine steady the carpet, all too aware of the cold. 

Brushing the snowflakes off her shoulder, the tip of Zee's wand gleamed with light, “Peek eht taeh morf gnipacse elihw ew ylf.”

Almost immediately, the wind seemed less harsh and biting, giving all three mystics a much needed reprieve. Raven sighed happily and got comfortable, burrowing in between her parents. Constantine lowered his upturned collar and, satisfied that they wouldn't freeze, Zatanna leveled her gaze on her lover, “So, just what was _that_?”

He aimed a pointed look her way, motioning to their current mode of transportation, “You _feel_ how powerful this thing is, don't you?”

Zatanna’s lips tightened into a straight line as she glanced at the carpet then the sky and back again, admitting, “That's what worries me. John, all this didn’t start until you two showed up, but why did that… shadow wait to attack in Gotham? Why not when they first found the thing?”

“It was a sleigh.” 

Two sets of blue eyes flicked down to the girl, surprised. The parents glanced at each other once and then back to Raven. Constantine leaned on one palm, shielding her from most of the lingering wind and looking into her eyes, “You’re certain it was a sleigh?”

“Yeah. And the laser light thing was striped like a candy cane,” Raven’s conviction was unflappable and Zatanna pinched between her eyes as the girl continued, “I didn’t see _who_ was driving it, but I’m sure it was a sleigh.”

“Santa doesn’t bother with amassing power,” Zee narrowed her eyes as she stared at the carpet, noting the same knots and stitches that had captivated Constantine earlier. Now, their crimson color was practically ominous Tugging at the ends of her hair, the mystic added, “And even then, Santa doesn’t _attack_. He’s charismatic, he doesn’t need to.”

Constantine raised a brow at her, rubbing at his stubble, “You got an idea about all this?”

“His sleigh shouldn’t have lasers. Rudolph’s nose is all he needs for light,” Zee put a hand on her chin, worried when she kept coming to the same conclusion, “I really don’t think anyone’s sneaky enough to _steal_ from Santa.”

“Well,” Raven faltered, trying to think of something, _anything_ to keep the idea of Santa not being jolly and good out of the conversation, “Maybe it wasn’t his sleigh?”

“What?”

“Do we know that Santa only uses _one_ sleigh?” She weakly smiled up at her parents, her words coming a tinge faster as she tried to make herself believe her guess, “Maybe he fights off polar bears when they get too close and some elves took it for a joyride!”

Zatanna softly smiled at her daughter, “Perhaps…”

“I mean…” Raven tugged at the ends of her hair, slumping against her dad’s side, “Santa wouldn’t _attack_ us...” She ran a mittened thumb over the carpet, anxiously glancing along the stitching and knots, not daring to look at her parents, “Right?”

Constantine met Zee’s nervous gaze and sighed, wordlessly pressing a kiss to the worried empath’s temple. The clouds rolled above them, holding and hiding all the answers.

\--

As they finally got to the shoreline, Zatanna’s phone began to blare. The Justice League’s logo filled the screen, quickly giving way to Wonder Woman’s face. The princess looked worried.

The phone’s screen immediately started to fill with static and Diana’s jaw set. She started speaking, but the static was messing with the audio until it frizzled, stopping every few seconds or so and letting the warrior’s voice flow through. However, Wonder Woman’s voice was muffled under the ringing left by the static and Raven winced, pressing her hands to her ears at the earsplitting shrillness. She took a deep breath and leaned against her father, reading her mother’s lips as she tried to figure out what the Amazon was saying. 

“ _Sleigh… Christmas magic… after he died…_ Diana I can’t hear what you’re--... _hidden race… what do you mean ‘artificial permafrost’... what about the--_ Is that a bell?...”

Constantine shifted, turning his ear towards the mystic as she paused, listening as the distinctive sound slowly revealed themselves behind the static. The bells rapidly took over the phone, completely drowning out Diana’s voice and rising louder than the speaker phone should allow. The music deepened with every beat, morphing into something terrible and ominous, as dismal as the sound of pacifiers melting in a microwave. Deep and brash and _angry_ , the jingles steadily increased in volume, screeching out a warning alarm that echoed through the clouds. 

“Zee!” Constantine’s phone began to emit the same braying jingle, practically vibrating with its tiny speakers pushed to their limit. Raven worriedly looked up, swallowing thickly as the splotches of gray clouds suddenly became menacing; no longer a shelter, they were a spotlight for that sleigh to find. 

The phones screeched out the hellish bells, the two chimes coming together for one vibrating harmony that made the carpet waver. Constantine hissed as he pulled at the corner, desperately trying to keep the rug from tilting too far. Zatanna cursed as Wonder Woman’s face was completely taken over by static, and the adults’ wave of worry forced Raven to make a decision.

Stepping forward and yanking the cell out of her father’s pocket, the demoness’ eyes glowed white as she enveloped both phones, smashing them together in an orb of black magic. The alarm was muted by the sphere and the girl wasted no time in chucking it off the carpet. 

Constantine immediately turned the rug perpendicular to Raven’s toss, not bothering to watch their phones plummet into the Atlantic ocean. No, he was just as aware as the other two that the skies just below the clouds was no longer safe. He did spare a glance at Zee, squaring his jaw at the worried look on her face, “What’d she say?”

The magician took a breath and let it out as a sigh, rubbing at the lines on her forehead as she looked at her family. Biting the inside of her cheek so deeply that a dimple appeared, she said, “I didn’t get most of it, but it appears that Santa and the elves didn’t make an impact on Earth at the same time.”

“What?” Two sets of bright blue eyes locked on her and Zee nodded, “Diana said something about them being an ancient race, been here since the beginning of this ice age.”

Raven’s face scrunched up, “Are we in an ice age?”

“As long as there’s ice on the poles, we’re in an ice age,” Zee forced a smile and winked at her daughter, “Fifth time in the earth’s history that it’s happened, actually.” 

That smile faltered as another sigh bubbled out of her, “That also means it’s the fifth time these elves have come to Earth’s surface.” She met Constantine’s stare, answering his question before he could speak, “The JL’s almost certain that the elves are aliens of some sort. And apparently, when Nikolaus became Santa there was a battle for the North Pole. They hid all evidence of it with artificial permafrost.”

John sounded suspicious at her words, “The elves or Santa? I’m pretty sure both can make snow.”

“Most of the elves decided to join Santa to help him make Christmas a global thing but the others…”

“The paintings say that the rest were forced underground.” Raven looked paler than usual as she figured it out, the red of her cheeks only making her face ruddier, “Santa must’ve used force _then_ , especially if his reindeer were there to help.”

“And I’d imagine the ones on Santa’s side gave him advice on how to keep them trapped on Earth.”

“Assuming the ones who stayed did so willingly.” John snorted at the magician’s reproaching look to his words, “The bird’s taken history classes, Zee. ‘A stronger force wins a territorial battle and his enemies just so happen to fall in line outta the good of their hearts?’ She knows what a load of bollocks that is.”

“Bollocks or not, we need a plan. If they can commandeer frequencies for their signals then we can’t use any of the Justice League for help.”

Constantine rubbed at his stubble, “So we’re officially going in blind? Our best plan would be appeasing the old man, hoping he doesn’t destroy us just for finding out about this.”

“Looks like it.”

There was a pause and the blond rolled his jaw, “He’s gonna try to charm us.”

“Absolutely, but we’re not gonna let him,” Zatanna held up her wand for emphasis, sniffling as a wave a sadness suddenly hit her. She turned to Constantine, noting his suddenly glassy eyes. Their attention was immediately drawn to Raven as she wrung her hands. The girl looked up at their stare, an embarrassed, guilty blush crawling on her face as she stopped her nervous projection. She averted her stare back to the carpet, murmuring, “I’m sorry.”

The Brit ran a hand through his daughter’s hair, “Don’t be sorry, Honey. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Raven sniffled, rubbing at her nose with the end of her sleeve, “But Wonder Woman could’ve told us more if I hadn’t rushed. If I’d just taken Harley and Pam to the first cave none of this would be happening!”

At the burst of frustration and regret, both adults sidled up next to her. “Hey,” Zatanna brought her into a hug, leaving the girl’s other side for Constantine. She kissed her daughter’s temple, “We would’ve had to ditch them anyway.”

Constantine drawled out, “And what better way to spend Christmas than outsmarting and maybe beating up some magic elves? Maybe yanking Santa’s beard and stealing his belt? Seems to be in the holiday spirit, eh?”

That got a half-hearted smile out of the empath, “You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re a humbug.”

Her smile made her parents relax a tinge and they perched her solidly in-between them again. Zatanna snickered, “He _is_ a humbug, isn’t he?” She tenderly rubbed her daughter’s back and looked out at the world around them, satisfied at the dimness of the shore’s lights. Taking a calming breath, the magician took control, muttering, “We’re out far enough. Get us above the clouds, John.”

The family was quiet as the sea vanished underneath them, all the bright lights and noisy waves fading to nothing but water vapor and a knot in their stomachs. Finally, they came out on top of the clouds, seeing nothing but the black sky and the blinding brightness of the moon, alone.

\--

Things were… quiet as they soared above the clouds. The cold front that had hit the east coast was dense and freezing, the opaque clouds looming as minute by minute passed. Not a quarter of an hour in, the exorcist reluctantly looked up from the carpet and the supposedly-Christmas-but-undoubtedly-elf magic that thrummed through its fibers, glancing at his daughter. Raven was quiet; not unusual for the girl, but troublesome now. She had all but gnawed her lower lip raw as she looked out behind them, both keeping the rug on a steady path and being watch for the sleigh again.

Partly to keep the demoness distracted from her own guilt and partly to overwhelm the gloom that had settled over them (although being _hunted_ could make even the most optimistic of people falter, and it didn’t take a genius to tell that Constantine was no optimist), the Brit spoke up, “Do you think we’ll have to fight Ol’ Saint Nick, then?” 

He put his hands up, jutting his jaw out like Popeye and miming the sailor’s fisticuffs, “Ya know I’m not as good as ol’ Batman, but I-yah can probably land ah punch or two.” Raven bit her lip to keep the growing smile off her face. Zee snorted at his exaggerated accent, some of the tension in her shoulders lessening as their daughter started to calm down.

But John wasn’t done yet, “Maybe even take ah few elves down with me. I-yah know we Brits have bad teeth, but Hell if I’d let one of those dentisks have a go at ‘em.”

That got him two sets of hidden chuckles and the man rested his elbows on his knees, grinning despite the still air. He turned his head as Zatanna let out a hum, her lips pursing as she studied one of the more troublesome patches of carpet. She sucked in her cheek, a look that Constantine knew meant that she was close to understanding something. A brow raised, eager at the possibility, “You figure anything out?”

“Did you know they had a child?” 

Zee didn’t look up as she spoke, her brows furrowing as she both tried to remember the episode and sought to inspect the last parts of this section of carpet, “I forget _whose_ kid it was --I think Olive and someone else… actually, scratch that I’m _pretty_ sure Popeye was legally the stepfather-- but anyway they named him Swee’Pea.”

As she spoke she tinkered with strands of magic fibers, not realizing how quiet it had gotten. Even the wind seemed to pipe down as she mused, more to herself than anything. That silence from the others led to Zee rambling a bit, “Cute kid, really. He just crawled around in most strips. In fact, Popeye called him ‘boy-kid’ most of the time.” A little snicker escaped, “Can you believe that?” 

Finally, the magician recognized the stares boring into her and looked up. Raven’s half smile had stretched into a full blown grin and Constantine’s brows nearly touched his hairline. Slowly, the mystic’s eyes shut and she shook her head, her shoulders shaking as she palmed her face, “Don’t say it.”

When did _Constantine_ ever give up the opportunity to be a smartass? “Mario references _and_ Popeye lore? Zee I’m learning so much about you.”

Raven hid her laugh behind her hands and the magician immediately shot back, “What can I say? I’m used to smokers and sexy accents.”

“Ah,” Constantine sounded as if he was a breath away from shouting ‘Eureka!’ and he nodded, “So it wasn’t my super buff body that brought you in, then.”

“Well, I never said _that_.”

Raven giggled and laid out on the carpet, listening to her parents’ back-and-forth. For the moment, she forgot about the whole being-tracked-down, Santa-vs-Elf-Nation fiasco that they’d found themselves in. Instead she starfished her limbs, considering whether or not she could make a snow angel while being above the snow clouds. And with a particularly snarky comment she heard as Constantine laughed and felt the carpet tilt as he pressed a kiss to her mother’s shoulder.

The usual teasing joy that filled their apartments whenever the two flirted was starting to overwhelm the carpet and Raven smiled, closing her eyes and letting herself enjoy the moment. 

She’d deal with being a lookout later.

\--

As the little magic family flew closer and closer to the North Pole, a postal worker locked up the office, cursing under his breath as the keys fell to the floor. With a ‘son of a bitch!’ and a few tries, the key pushed into the keyhole and he stepped away, scurrying towards his truck.

Unnoticed by most and in time with the postman’s steps, the Brooks Range of the Rocky Mountains started to rumble, shifting in the most minute of ways as deep underneath the surface a spirit of Christmas shook himself awake. The only creatures to notice were the dogs of Prudhoe Bay, as they raised their snouts and howled out a mournful cry. 

The worker raised his head at the howls, shivering as he piled into his truck and unscrewed his thermos. He started the engine and took a sip of coffee, sighing as the heating started to warm up, cranked to full blast. Almost exactly a mile away, deep within the earth, a horned man took a deep breath, his eyes creaking open. He sniffed, a grin stretching his thin lips. Oh, the carpet had been found. And not only that, but the magic that was contained within it was already so close to the North Pole he could _taste_ it. 

Sharp fangs opened, letting his pointed tongue roll out. The creature scratched at his arm, uncaring as some fur shed to the floor. He rolled his shoulders and stood, sighing as his joints popped and the ground creaked, grateful for the spread of weight. 

He grabbed the medieval chains as he passed, the rust soothing against his claws and the dull _clang! clang! clang!_ of metal against metal practically music to his ears. The crack in the center of his cave slowly leaked melted snow into a fountain and he dunked a hand into it, soothing his dry throat. A multiple-decade rest could make a spirit thirsty, after all. 

His ears twitched but he didn’t move as an elf approached him, wary. “Please,” She pleaded, her small hands clasped under her chin, “We can’t afford letting Santa know where our hideout is.” Gold eyes looked her over, noting the solemn, resigned faces on the elves that lurked just beyond the corner. Faces that were broader and far less cherubic, bodies that were taller, brains that were wiser, more independent than the ones that populated the fat man’s workshop. 

“He finds that carpet and nothing you do’ll matter,” A hairy claw waved in the air, dismissive of the elf’s concern, “Santa’s bound to have saved away any secrets your ancestors left, he’ll know how to track all of you.”

He turned back to the water, musing aloud, “Let alone when they have not one, not two, but _three_ mages hand delivering your magic to him?” The elf thickly swallowed as he turned to her again, “You have no choice but to follow me. I’m sure Santa won’t let you stay when he defeats you. His elves might get suspicious, start asking questions, hmmm?”

“But we are to fight _together_ \--”

“I am to fight for _myself_. You elves just use my battles to stay safe. It’s best if you remember that, you know how I feel about freeloading,” He circled her, the _click-clack!_ of his hooves agonizing and the sickly, musty, cinnamon scent of his fur repulsive to her sensitive nose, “Yet alone entitlement.”

The elf’s shoulders drooped. Her lips tightened in a straight line as she stared straight ahead, her hands hanging limply at her sides, “I’ll prepare the others. Any orders in particular?” The creature stooped down until the hair on his chin brushed her shoulder and he chuckled at her sudden tenseness, standing straight a second later, “Send a few of yours out, strong ones. Get me a few birch swatches.”

“Understood. Anything else?”

The creature’s answer was immediate, “Save a spot for the smallest one on my cart.” 

Her head tilted to the side and her fingers thudded against her thigh, “...Pardon?”

“On the carpet. The smallest mage of the three. Can you feel her? Through her connection? That deliciously powerful black magic that she’s letting in?”

A heavy sigh was sucked in then, making the creature’s hooves clack against the floor and his chest expand, “She’s the most powerful, that youngest… Reminds me of me.” As he spoke, a furry hand rose to his face, taking in the magic that hummed just beyond the surface of his covered skin. Magic that allowed him to fly, to fight, to drag spoilts to Hell, to _discipline_.

“And besides,” Krampus grinned, the sight sickening. The elf couldn’t keep the shiver from tap-dancing down her spine and he drawled, “I don’t get the chance to see other demons all too often, now do I?”

\--

Raven lazily looked behind them, keeping an eye that no sleigh was following their path. She rested her chin in her crossed arms, blinking away the frosted water off her lashes. It was still so quiet, and the frostiness reminded her of looking out of Wayne Manor’s library windows and the sleepiness that such an activity brought.

Half asleep, she let herself fall into a sort of meditation, still watching the rolling clouds underneath them and the dark skies around them. Zee spoke, her words so soft that Raven didn’t even realize her parents were talking, “My geography skills aren’t the best, but I’m pretty sure we just passed the top of Greenland.”

“Really?” Constantine raised a brow as he pulled his coat tighter around himself, really wishing he had a cigarette right about now, “It’s been an hour and we’re already here?”

“It’s a _magic carpet_ ride, John,” The magician rolled her eyes, “It’s supposed to be fast.” 

“Pfft.” He leaned back on his palms, lazily smirking at the magician, “If an hour’s fast I don’t wanna know how short you think our usual carpet rides are.”

Still carefully looking out behind them, Raven didn’t pick up on let alone _hear_ the joke; she did look back in a bit of worry at Zatanna’s half-horrified, half-incredulous laugh. She blinked at her parents, still entranced at all the snowfall around them yet worried about whether or not the sleigh would find them again, “Are we almost there?”

“Yup.” Constantine reclined all the way back until he was propped up on his elbows, kissing his still-reclining daughter’s temple, “And in less than an hour too. You know what we call _that_ , Luv?”

The empath’s head tilted to the side, “Good luck?”

He shook his head and tapped her nose, “A writer’s convenience.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm… in fact,” The Brit turned so his back was to the magician, “I bet Zee’s able to see the edges of Santa’s Workshop already. Even if there’s no logical reason for the trip to take less than a quarter of a day… but just so happens to be in time to get there and get out _just_ before Christmas day breaks, right Hun?”

The mystic clicked her tongue but nodded, “Faint red lights a few miles up ahead, probably another 15 minutes til we’re there.”

Raven giggled, “Convenient.”

He winked at his daughter and put a finger up to his lips, “Keep it secret, eh?”

\--

Krampus smirked as he donned a scratchy basket behind his back, stomping the dirt out of his hooves. He closed his eyes, listening to his elves as they boarded their rugs and wooden carts. Magically enhanced, they levitated in the air, amped and buzzing as elves loaded into them. 

An elf walked up to the Christmas spirit, the tips of his pointed ears as ruddy as the apples of his cheeks, “Set out time in approximately ten minutes.” 

Krampus nodded at his wheezing report, closing his eyes and feeling that steady stream of black magic that that tiny mage used. He sneered as hints of Santa’s magic wafted in with hers, his eyes snapping open, “Make it five minutes.” 

“They’re almost there.”

\--

Having worked with all matters of supernatural entities, heroes and villains and anti-heroes alike, Zatanna and Constantine were wary as they came within view of Santa’s homebase. With the thin clouds, anyone at the North Pole would’ve spotted them already; the family stayed low on the carpet, taking in their descent from the skies. 

Constantine squared his jaw and Zee grasped her wand as the entrance to the workshop came into view, the candy-cane striped gates wide open. Raven’s eyes went wide at the portly figure who stood in the center, his gloved hands on his hips and his white beard icy with snow. 

Santa stared at them as they landed, a wide smile stretching his flushed face as he spotted the girl. A boisterous laugh escaped him as he jovially walked towards them, “So, _there_ you all are. We’ve been expecting you!” 

Despite his words, no elves were visibly waiting for them. And judging by the nearly blinding light coming from the right of the compound, they were all busy with something. He held out a hand to Zee, “Santa Claus. Though Kris Kringle works just as well!”

The magician raised a brow, curtsying with the ends of her coat as she decided to humor him, “Zatanna Zatara. Nice to meet you.”

“We don’t get much visitors, especially right before heading out!” His red cheeks seemed to flush even more as he glanced at their ride, his brown eyes shining even as he brought back his unshaken hand, “Especially not on such a vehicle! Now how’d you find that carpet?”

_Azar_ , if she hadn’t seen that the shadow was a sleigh, Raven didn’t know what would’ve happened. Not with Santa acting like _this_. Whether or not Constantine felt his daughter’s own apprehension he took a step forward, slightly shielding Raven with his coat as he rebutted, “I dunno, Kringle. How’re you able to attack us yet beat us back here?”

Santa’s smile faltered, an action so minute that even _Batman_ might’ve missed it, “Whatever are you talking about? I’ve been here the last eleven months, getting ready for Christmas!” He laughed, his ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ not nearly as festive as it should’ve been. 

“Santa,” Raven piped up, her eyes practically indigo as she gazed up at him, “Do you only have one sleigh? Or is there another one that shoots lasers?”

“Lasers? Oh Ho! Ho! What an imagination on you, Raven!” He leaned past Constantine to tap her nose and she sneezed at the magic snowflakes that the act caused. Santa re-adjusted his gloves and motioned towards the highest building, it’s wreath-covered top poking out high in the air, “My sleigh’s been there this whole time. Only take it out once a year.”

He leaned in, as if to tell a secret, “Christmas is a very timely day, my girl. We streamline everything here so I can’t possibly be late.” Santa’s knees popped as he stood back to his height, beaming as he addressed the two adults with his hands on his hips, “Especially not with good boys and girls waiting, though most aren’t as creative as your daughter here.”

Raven’s head tilted to the side, “But isn’t it _already_ Christmas in the earlier time zones? Shouldn’t you--”

Santa cut her off, “Nevermind that, the point of the matter is I’ve been completely swamped preparing for tonight.”

The girl blurted, “But I saw a sleigh. It had lasers with candy cane striped light, too.”

He waved a glove dismissively, “You must’ve been mistaken, little one. No such sleigh as that here!”

The Brit took a step forward, glad that he and Santa were about the same height, “You sure about that?” Constantine’s blatant hostility made the Christmas spirit pause, a white brow raising (not indignantly, of course. Santa would _never_ do anything if it wasn’t jovial!). 

“Of course I’m sure!” He looked between the two, his concern palpable. Whether that concern was genuine or an act, neither mystic cared. “Well,” Zatanna started, discreetly touching the wand tucked near her waistband, “We had some… concerns.”

Santa looked between the three, his gaze lingering on the carpet for half a second, “Don’t worry.” He assured, “You know how magic goes… All the presents fit in my sleigh easily! Magic to magic, although you know we don’t tell out secrets.” His beard curled as he beamed at them, winking as if they were at a bad office party. 

“What about the lasers?” Constantine’s eyes narrowed, “Destroying parts of Gotham, maybe getting a few flash grenades to the face?” 

Zee added on, “Any of this ringing a bell? Maybe just to steal a carpet and some ancient elf magic?”

Santa’s brows jumped and an amused snort escaped him, “ _Ancient elf magic_? Oh, Ho! Ho! I don’t know _what_ you three have been hearing, but I can assure you no such antics have ever occured! My sleigh is used for presents and spreading Christmas cheer and my elves’ magic is merely a connection of my own.”

Raven narrowed her eyes as she felt a surge of warmth, sickly sweet in her stomach. Not quite a hint from her empathy, not quite her magic latching onto something similar. She glanced around, furtively looking at the ground when it appeared that she was the only one who had noticed. 

Zee put a hand on her hip and Raven’s head tilted to the side, watching as she pointed out yet another flaw with Santa’s words. Taking her chance, she shifted her weight to one foot. None of the adults noticed, consumed in their bickering. The demoness bit the inside of her cheek as Constantine roughly reiterated that Santa had yet to acknowledge the second sleigh and she took the opportunity to sneak off, easily creeping along the snowmen to hide from their gaze. 

Santa didn’t even notice her leaving, miffed at the two mystics and their refusal to be charmed. His back was to her, the palms his gloves pointing to the sky as the girl slipped past a corner.

Shivering without her mother’s heat-capturing spell, Raven hurriedly pulled her coat up to her ears, hunching her shoulders and letting that tingling of warmth lead her. She didn’t allow herself longer than a breath to stare at the cottages, stacked with brick and gingerbread and marshmallow fluff. Doorways small enough for an elf (or a certain magic girl, although she doubted she’d have time), but large enough to hold many. Briefly, she wondered if anyone saw her, brazen as her path was.

A few more corners led to her spotting a stream of smoke and she knew without a doubt that _that_ wasn’t what called to her, but she headed towards it anyway. Following the trail of gray chimney smoke, she found her way to the center of the North Pole. 

She blinked up at the snow-laden, blood red plantation-style house and crept inside the open door, her sapphire eyes widening at the sight of all the christmas decorations. Not surprising, given where she was at, but still enchanting to the little mage. Stuffed teddy bears with Santa hats perched in between their ears and candy canes sewn in their arms, gingerbread houses and gumdrop families posed outside of them, mistletoe and poinsettias, wreaths and christmas trees of all sizes, though all were dwarfed by the obscenely large pine that sat not ten feet from the chimney. 

Raven’s head tilted at the lack of presents under the tree, let alone how only ten stockings hung over the brick, one for Nikolaus, one for Mary, and one for each of the eight reindeer. So many elf-sized cottages had lined the path here, yet where was any evidence of them? 

A blast of cold air made her shiver again and, shaking herself out of her thoughts, she closed the door behind her. Remembering Robin’s lessons to tread carefully, Raven snuck as quietly as she could, holding her breath as she stepped on each wooden floorboard, hoping that nothing would creak. 

Still, her mind raced. Santa was with Mom and Dad, the elves were probably busy with preparing his trip (that honestly, if the clock on the wall was right, should’ve started a few hours ago, in her opinion), and the reindeer were probably getting hitched for the trip. 

Where was Mrs. Claus?

The empath closed her eyes and set out her soul self, searching the house and coming up empty. Confident that she wasn’t in any danger of being caught, she tiptoed to a wall laden with red and green frames. Raven peeked her face over a corner, her face brightening at the sight of the kitchen. 

Moving to the counter, Raven floated up and sat down on the marble, her eyes eager as she noted a batch of cookie dough resting not a hands’ length away. 

Leaning back and furtively looking around to ensure no one was going to see her, she grinned down at the dough, grabbed the wooden spoon and lopped off a piece for herself. Rationalizing away the thought of coal (since Pam and Harley had committed far worse crimes than stealing a spoonful of cookie dough and _they_ got presents every year)(but then again, had they ever stolen from Santa’s _wife_? Probably not), Raven allowed herself to try. 

Immediately, her face scrunched up at the flavor. Plain, too little vanilla and hardly any chocolate chips; not nearly as good as anything Alfred had ever whipped up. And worse of all, not even a hint of cinnamon. 

Sighing (and finally understanding _why_ the butler’s smile was so wry whenever Bruce attempted to bake for him on Father’s Day), Raven slid down and padded to the cabinets. Simply opening them all with a wave of magic, she pulled out the cinnamon, held in a flimsy glass shaker the shape of a snowman. Pulling up a chair, Raven put the cushion on the table and got to work, carefully shaking out two teaspoons worth.

“Hmmm,” She glanced from the dough to the shaker and back again, making up her mind as the dough’s horrifying plainness flashed in her head, “One more dash shouldn’t hurt.” 

A few _very_ choice words (Dad may need to stop letting her watch movies with him) nearly escaped her as the top of the cinnamon shaker fell off, letting nearly a cup's worth of spice fall into the dough. Raven paused, silently staring at the dough for what felt like an eternity. 

Finally, she sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils and the windows cracked as she started to panic, the glass nearly bursting as the cinnamon sunk into the wet dough, spread far to evenly to scoop out. 

Eyes wide, Raven scrambled off the counter and flung open the cabinets again. Her magic quickly enveloped the ingredients and she got to work. The girl mouthed Alfred's recipe to herself as she hastily remade the cookie dough, not caring about the flour and raw egg that splattered onto her coat as she did so.

A small hand hovered over the chocolate chips, a frown tugging at her lips. No, absolutely not; she was _not_ about to sully a Pennyworth recipe.

Her eyes glowed white as she sent out her soul self, finding the chocolate bars as she mixed as fast as her arms could. Raven sighed as the dough started coming together and she took a quick break, unwrapping the bars and crumbling them to the best of her ability. The wind blew against the cracked windows and she heard a rattling sound. Raven clicked her tongue, trying to stay focused as that warmth came back, stronger than before. She put a hand to her stomach and took a deep, calming breath, murmuring her mantra. 

Grinning as the warmth and the rattling went away (although her inner voice (that sounded suspiciously like Robin) was screaming at her to focus on it), she dumped the chocolate chunks into the dough and mixed them in, hoping that Mrs. Claus wouldn’t mind too much. Once she was satisfied that a _proper_ cookie dough was left for the old woman to find, Raven decided that she had lingered long enough and headed towards the door, keeping on the boards that she knew weren’t noisy. 

Sneaking out the way she came, the girl harrumphed as she stumbled back out into the cold. She pulled her coat tighter around herself, her brows furrowing at the suspicious lack of snowflakes. Her eyes fluttered shut as that warmth came back, only to snap open and then squeeze shut as it grew, so hot that it nearly burned. 

Groaning, Raven put a hand on the side of the house and doubled over, wheezing and pulling at her scarf as the heat became overwhelming. She wobbled, leaning all her weight on the house as she made her way towards that all-encompassing heat, feeling her magic spark at the ends of her fingertips. 

Her hand still on the Claus house, she turned one corner and then two. It took approximately four steps into their snow-filled backyard for Raven to fall to her knees and pause, a gasp filling her lungs as Krampus stepped in front of her, looking nearly as worse for the wear. 

The two half-demons stared at one another for a few long seconds, both a bit overwhelmed at finally being so close to the other’s aura. 

Older, wiser, and far more used to such experiences with a certain fat man himself, Krampus shook out of his trance first, his breath escaping in a fog as he welcomed the cold of the North Pole again. “Well, well, well,” He chuckled, leaning down to grin at the girl, the maniacal look on his face enough to give Joker a run for his money. “I’ve been waiting to meet _you_ , yes I have.”

Raven leaned all her weight back on her heels and jumped up, her hands engulfing with magic and her eyes glowing white. She faltered as the heat abruptly left her, her magic weaker than usual from the cold. The goat-demon stood back to his full height, his palms in the air. 

His grin was practically quivering as he held back his laughter. And despite his shiny eyes and shit-eating smirk this creature almost looked… proud? “I’m not here to fight, cousin. Just to talk.” 

Raven balked at his words, “I’m not your _cousin_. Who are you?!” Black magic tried to make a barrier between the two at her words, but failed. The girl’s nose twitched and she roughly sniffled, trying to hold back her sneeze. 

The spirit bowed his head, “I’m Krampus.”

At her expected lack of reaction, he chuckled, the sound humorless and resentful. Krampus noticed but paid little mind to the girl’s near buckling under his wave of animosity, but he did allow himself to quietly muse aloud, “So you’re an empath, then?”

He turned away from her, casually strolling back the way he came, “Haven’t had one of those around here in quite a few millennia…” 

Raven watched him go for only a second. She glanced from Krampus’ retreating back, the house where Mrs. Claus could show up at any time, and back again. A heavy breath escaped as she made up her mind and rushed forward, walking directly behind him. She used the spirit’s hoof-prints to keep her balance as the snow got deeper and deeper the further they walked.

Krampus didn’t _ramble_ , but he didn’t stop his nonchalant talk, chattering on as he sauntered and she trudged, “You know, I’m not usually one for talking. Elves may be intelligent but they’re so stiff, not at all good conversation. Although, I don’t often get to speak with other demons.”

Whether he spoke to make the girl less suspicious or because he actually was interested, Raven couldn’t tell. Still, he knew how to grab her attention, “You’re a demon?”

“Only half,” He turned back to face her and motioned to his horns and beard, not even bothering to mention his hooves, “Same as you.”

Raven’s footsteps stuttered as they came upon a large metallic cart and he looked back at her, wondering if the hesitation was nerves or the realization of how alike the two were. He didn’t shy away from letting her see the stacks of flying carpets and smaller wood carts that had carried the elves. Raven hummed at the sight, zoning in on how small the footprints were.

She ran a tongue over her cheek, “You have elves too?”

“Something like that,” Krampus raised a brow as he took in their fleet, “They’re resourceful and I like when mortals can fight back a bit.” His broad shoulders shrugged and Raven blinked up at him as he added, “They stay hidden with me. Can’t let Santa know where we are.”

The girl’s question was immediate, “Where are they now, then?”

That got her a snort, “Distracting Santa’s ‘little helpers.’” Krampus practically spat out the words, rolling his eyes at the label. After a moment on tense silence, he grinned into the air, “Easier than we thought with those two mages of yours distracting Santa.” 

Raven shifted, “They’re my parents, actually.”

“Hmm,” Krampus didn’t respond beyond that and climbed into his cart, sighing at the comfortable, familiar sting of cold iron against his fur. He peered down at the demoness when she didn’t move, leaning over and holding open her side of the cart. After a pause, he commanded, “Come on, cousin. I don’t have all day.”

Her hair shook off the crystals as she fervently shook her head, “I’m not going with you!”

“But you want to know what’s going on.”

She paused and Krampus pushed on, “About Santa, and why he’s been hiding all this. I can tell you. Hell, I can _show_ you.”

Raven tugged on the ends of her coat and took a step forward, resting her hands on the cart’s edge. Still, she didn’t get inside just yet, her fingers fidgeting in her mittens as she asked, “Why?”

Krampus paused for a moment, his brows jumping as he considered his answer. “I’m not sure, actually.” He leaned back, slowly drumming his claws on the cart’s bar as he considered the little mystic. His pointed tongue ran over his sharp teeth and he met her gaze head-on.

“There aren’t many people I can call a potential _equal_ besides Santa… might as well see if you’re more like me or more like him.” He grinned, his yellowed fangs sticking out, “I promise no threats, no getting hurt. Just a quick ride where I show you _exactly_ what’s going on here. Exactly why there are two factions of elves.” Krampus leaned in closer, “Exactly why you don’t even know that I once used to be associated with Christmas, just as much as Santa himself.”

Indigo eyes were softening to the idea and he leaned back, giving her space to climb in. “It’s not worth much, but just between us… I give you demon’s honor, for what it’s worth,” He held up a clawed hand, grinning as Raven hesitantly stepped up and into the cart. 

Her boot prodded at the basket in between them, wary of the endless magic that thrummed inside of it. Raven nudged the basket closer to Krampus, her eyes widening as the cart took off into the air as easily as the carpet had, “What’s this for?”

“I capture naughty children. Sometimes drag them to Hell.” He blinked at her, practically _lounging_ as he drove, “You’ve been before?”

It sounded like a question but she knew it was a statement. Swallowing and pulling her coat up to shield her face from the wind, Raven murmured, “How’d you guess?”

“You got the smell of it on ya. You’ll start to notice it the older you get.”

Raven narrowed her eyes at him, keeping to her side of the cart as they flew over the air. She shifted after half a minute, her curiosity getting the better of her, “How old are you?”

That got her a humorless chuckle, “Older than Santa, that’s for sure.”

Raven opened her mouth to ask and he interrupted her, “Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answer to.” Krampus looked at her, his eyes dark but she knew that that darkness was not aimed towards her, “Santa’s screwed over more than just elves, cousin.” 

She ran a tongue over her teeth at the title, “My name’s Raven.”

“Raven, then.” He glanced at her again and diverted their course, “You seem like a smart kid. So act like it.” 

As if on cue, he tilted his chin to the right and Raven followed his lead, her eyes widening at the sight of elves hidden in the snow. They were pressed up against the far end of Santa’s workshop, hidden by the dark snow and the shade of the warehouse. She spotted a few of them, tall and broad and wavy-haired, urgently and furtively pleading to their shorter, pluckier, short-haired counterparts to jump from the red and green framed windows. 

Krampus let out another laugh, devoid of all emotion, “Would you believe they’re all about the same place in their lifespan?” Raven shifted in her seat, her wide eyes confused and horrified at the sight, “Santa’s look younger than me…”

“Easier to keep them in line that way, I’d reckon.”

Raven blinked and sat straight, her fingers drumming against her kneecaps as Krampus led them further into the snow. She craned her neck up to look him in the eye, “Are you going to show me more elves? You don’t need to.” The empath took a deep breath as she tried to keep her emotions under control, “I get the picture.”

Krampus grinned, a hint of amusement and a bigger wave of resignation flooding out of him, “You won’t want to see this, but you have to.” He landed the cart in the middle of a mix of hills, the ragged piles of snow making the horizon bumpy. 

Holding up a palm so the girl didn’t get up, Krampus flew up a few feet into the air, the rusty chains rattling as he took a deep breath. The forgotten spirit of Christmas raised his palms, grunting out a bleating sort of sigh and lifting his hands until he was stretched as far as he could go. 

The cart vibrated, a thrumming hum sounding from underneath it. The earth repeated its actions, shaking in a controlled center and making the ground lift and lower as if it was breathing. Raven squinted at the ground; no, not the earth, the _snow_. 

As if reading her thoughts, a voice called down to her, “Artificial permafrost!” Krampus snickered out, shamelessly bringing up a football field-sized patch, twice as tall as himself. As the snow slid down its side Raven’s eyes went wide at the sight suddenly revealed to her, the back of her legs hitting the side of the cart. 

It was _horrible_ ; large, muscular reindeer, frozen in time mid-stomp, crosses made of copper, elves versus elves in all sorts of manners, carpets and carts and sleighs galore. A snapshot of the horrors that had occured, that had been paused in the blink of an eye. Raven averted her gaze back to her feet and pressed her fists to her eyes. 

Honestly, something that she probably could’ve done without seeing. 

Still, she rasped out, “Why are you showing me this?”

“You found one of our emergency carpets,” Krampus shrugged as he floated back down to the snow, landing comfortably in the snow. He raised a brow, “You think Santa’ll tell you the truth?”

\--

Over and over and over again, they ran in a circle. 

Santa tries to charm them, Constantine counters with a snarky quip, Zatanna pushes forward with another inconsistency and Santa brings back his reputation in all other matters than his elves, bringing the loop to yet another head. 

Fed up, the Brit kept a hip pressed against the carpet as he ran a hand through his hair, the strands littered with ice droplets, “Aren’t you supposed to be _good_? Multiple sleighs and blasting into civilians doesn’t seem to be a trustworthy act, Santa.” 

The bearded man didn’t exactly _deny_ his involvement in the attack, “I spread Christmas cheer all over the world, my boy. People _trust_ me, as should you three.”

Zee snorted, reaching her wit’s end at what had to be the fiftieth excuse so far, “Oh? So you just expect people to give their full trust with no evidence that you won’t take advantage?”

“The most advantages I have are centuries of goodwill. Oh, and can’t forget only ever taking cookies and milk.” Santa’s eyes were still charming as ever, and why wouldn’t they be? He was a good man, carpet issues notwithstanding. 

Still, his words inspired a haughty laugh, “Stopped with the coal, I take it?”

Santa gave Constantine a pointed look, “As long as no one’s snorting my ashes.”

The Brit ran a tongue over his teeth at the reference, awkwardly clearing his throat and avoiding Zee’s flicker of a glare. 

“Enough of this. We’ll trust you for _now_ , Santa. But we’ll keep the carpet until we get everything settled--where’s Raven?” Her voice went up an octave as she turned around, finally noticing her daughter’s absence. The still falling snow had completely filled any tracks she had made and the magician whirled onto Santa, her rage faltering at the look of worry on his face. 

She _knew_ that concern wasn’t for the girl’s safety but what she might’ve found, but he seemed just as in the dark as her and Constantine. His jaw rolled and Santa glanced towards the carpet one last time, his gaze and his body turning to where his warehouse was.

“We need to find her.”

Finally, Mr. Kringle was saying something they believed. And while Zee was ready to follow his lead and find their daughter, John wasn’t as forgiving. He rolled up the carpet and kept it in his grasp, screaming out the elves that were undoubtedly watching them, “Where is she?!”

\--

Krampus held out a hand and helped the girl up, walking along the ragged battlefield as she stretched her legs. Raven’s lower lip quivered the closer she got to the battlefield, her steps slowing at the sheer amount of repressed emotion, so raw despite the age. Centuries had passed but the emotions were plain as day on their faces, filled with rage from the fight. Rage that still lingered at the audacity of Santa to hide them away like _nothing_.

She sniffled, and this time it wasn’t from the cold, “They didn’t have to fight…”

“They didn’t want to,” Krampus lightly shrugged, “Elves aren’t all that violent when left on their own. Just want to stay in the cold, advance their magic and get off planet as soon as the poles start melting.”

Raven shakily glimpsed up at him, roughly biting the inside of her cheek, “Unlucky that Santa decided they’d be good helpers.”

The goat-demon held out a hand and she took it, letting him lead her back to the cart, “You could call them that. Some would call them slaves.”

Not a few feet from the cart the snowflakes started to really fall, blitzing against their skin with the uptick in wind. Suddenly, Krampus tensed, bleating out and yanking his chains free from his waist. He shoved the demoness away from him and blocked the attack that came out of nothingness.

Raven let out a gasp and shielded herself to the best of her ability with magic, pushed against the force of _something_ colliding with the spirit and sending him careening into the fake permafrost. 

Shaking the snowflakes out of her face, Raven wiped at her eyes and tried to walk, sinking nearly to her thighs in the heavy, unpacked snow. Frustrated at the sounds of yet another battle going on, she closed her eyes and concentrated, putting all her control into levitating. 

The mystic glided over the snow, gasping at the sight of Krampus and Mrs. Claus locked in a fight. Christmas magic flew out of both of them, crackling out and zapping out in every which way. Far, far more erratic than any fights she’d helped out in at Gotham and honestly, without Robin or Batgirl there for backup, she hesitated to join in. 

Unlucky for her, she didn’t have to.

A particularly brutal flood of magic and what was essentially a flying tackle led to the two of them skidding across the snow, flattening and chipping bits of permafrost off of the frozen battlefield as they did. 

Moving so fast that she was practically a blur, the form of Mrs. Claus gained the upper hand. She conjured a shiny brown object and flung it towards the demon, knocking him so hard that he landed not three feet away from Raven. 

Wide eyed at the violence of the act and the _hatred_ that emanated through the old woman, the empath froze as Mrs. Claus sped forward and shoved Krampus into a copper pot. She roughly slammed the lid on, practically tearing one of his fingers off at the first knuckle. Krampus let out a squeal, the sound horrifying and as pleasant as a cheese grater on a chalkboard. 

Raven covered her ears as Mrs. Claus roughly fastened the copper pot’s lid, ensuring that the spirit couldn’t get out. As she did so, the girl’s gaze flicked down to Krampus’ nail, the top of his finger twitching in the snow. Raven sneakily grabbed it and stashed it in her pocket, looking up as the portly woman grinned down at her, tutting in the most stereotypical grandmotherly way, “Oh! I was so worried about you!”

Nothing but cheeriness and affectionate coddling. Mrs. Claus’ cheeks were red and she fluffed the gray curls of her hair, clapping her hands excitedly in front of her stomach as she sought to calm Raven down. 

The empath almost buckled at the emotional whiplash and Mrs. Claus leaned down to pick her up. Raven instinctively took a step back, “I’m okay…” 

A thin brow jumped over her gray eyes and the girl rubbed the back of her neck, immediately trying to backpedal as she remembered that she was currently stuck in the endless expanse of the North Pole with only the woman to help, “I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“Of course you can!” Her laugh wasn’t as boisterous as Santa’s but was just as jolly, “You escaped Krampus without a single scratch! Oh, I’m so proud!” 

Mrs. Claus patted her cheeks and stood up, her height nearly as tall as her husband’s. Raven shakily smiled back, unsure of what to make of everything. She almost put a hand to her stomach but stopped, not needing the woman to know of just how horribly her attack on Krampus was affecting her. 

If Mary (Raven wasn’t _entirely_ sure of her name, but she supposed that the stocking was correct) noticed her hesitation, she didn’t lead on to it. Instead, her smile widened and she gestured back towards the extremely faint red lights in the distance, “Let’s get you back to your parents, then. You should know they’ve been worried sick!” 

The old woman held out her hand and Raven took it a second before they levitated a few feet off the ground. Mrs. Claus carefully loaded up the copper pot within her magic and they set off, gliding over the snow to the rattling sound of Krampus’ unrelenting screaming and kicking within the pot.

After a few minutes of flying in relative silence, the woman spoke, her voice soft and maternal over the agonized howls of the goat-demon, “Everything alright, dearie?”

Raven blinked, squinting as the red lights of Santa’s workshop came into view. Despite knowing what a bad idea it was (and Santa’s reaction to her questions still crystal clear in her mind), the demoness admitted, “I’m so confused. Those elves and everything that happened to them…”

Mrs. Claus immediately set about fixing any _obviously_ incorrect connotations that the girl may have picked up, “Oh, my Nik means well, dearie. Sure, our elves _could_ be thought of as something as horrible as Krampus was claiming--”

“He said they were slaves.”

“--that Nik and I are somehow _cruel_. Yes, the first elves came to avoid the war, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them now! They’re all my grandchildren, in a way.” The old woman’s face was stretched in a wide, overly warm smile. 

Raven didn’t necessarily buy it, not with her using the same charming tactics as Santa, “So you love them? Even though you use them--” She caught herself, “Their services?”

“Of course I do! It’s sort of like those two mages and _you_ , dearie. They love you, even though your magic helped them use that carpet.”

Raven didn’t bother arguing against the absolute insanity of the analogy just spoken, but she couldn’t keep the nervous look off her face at the mention of her parents, “Are they okay?”

“Why, of course! I told Santa that I found you and left all of them with those cookies that you spruced up,” She leaned down to murmur, “And might I say, chocolate chunks were an _amazing_ idea, dearie. Had to just rush to tell you what a great baker you are!”

Raven nodded. She closed her eyes and stayed quiet, completely wordless until they reached the Claus house again. As soon as her feet met the snow she bolted inside, a happy breathless huff escaping her as she all but tackled her parents. The three tilted back on the couch and Santa stood from his rocking chair near the fireplace, “Oh! So glad to see you back and _safe_ , little one!”

In the snow, Mrs. Claus gave a group of elves a pointed look and handed them the copper pot, brushing the dirty snow off her hands and walking in just in time to pronounce to the room, “Yes, you gave us all quite a scare.”

She beamed at them, adjusting the buttons on her dress that had gotten nudged out of place during the fight as Santa spoke up, “But I think it’s time that you all get going. I’ve got to deliver presents and Mary here likes to throw the elves a little shindig to celebrate the making the deadlines.”

The magic family seemed all too eager to get out of there and they stood nearly in unison. Constantine patted his daughter’s head, “You heard Kringle, Luv. Time to go!” He grabbed the carpet and tucked it under his armpit, not changing his course as Mrs. Claus called out, “No need to wear out that carpet, dearie.”

“You’ve been too kind, but really, it’s fine,” Zatanna forced a smile on her face, grabbing Raven’s hand and using her other to touch the Brit’s shoulder. “It’s pretty fast and we need to get back to Gotham before the Christmas flights start coming in. You know how busy it gets,” She small talked to Santa, moving with her family as they edged towards the door.

The elderly couple exchanged the glance and then smiled widely, accepting that Krampus was a fine enough consolation prize. “Very well then,” Mrs. Claus hesitantly agreed, “Have a good trip and a Merry Christmas!”

Some of the elves were hovering near their cottage’s entrances as the family powerwalked back to the gate. Raven averted her eyes at the sight of the tapestries that now hung over their windows, their stitching nearly identical to the carpet that her father held. She bit her lip and worried about Krampus, too terrified to wonder about what happened to his elves without him there and horrified at the lack of any evidence of them along their Northern counterparts. 

At Raven’s accidental projection of dread, Constantine sighed and reached for his coat pocket; Zee swatted his hand away, hissing, “No smoking in front of the elves!” He shrugged and, as soon as they reached the gate’s threshold, held out a tassel towards Raven. The carpet perked up and unfurled, eagerly sweeping underneath the mystics’ feet and following the girl’s silent order, taking to the skies a moment later. 

Zatanna pulled her daughter into her lap as they stared ahead, not letting her look back as they flew off; Constantine looked long enough for all three of them. Through the snowfall their farewell was obvious: Santa, Mrs. Claus, hundreds of cherubic elves and eight reindeer, all staring unblinkingly at them as they left. The Brit put a cigarette to his lips, cupped a hand in front of his face and lit it, staring back.

\--

Approximately two hours and thirty-eight minutes into Christmas day, Raven sighed as she watched Harley practically fall on top of Zee, her drunk giggles loud and cheerful. The magician leaned against her, not even tipsy but using the blonde’s enthusiasm to calm her own nerves. Constantine and Pam were lounging near the counter, sipping spiked hot chocolate and talking in quiet voices about the cave, the carpet, and everything else.

Obnoxiously loud christmas music blasted from Selina’s stereo and the TV silently broadcasted a crackling log. Raven rested on the couch, curled underneath her blanket but still too wired to sleep. A particularly loud hiccup preceded a crash and all four adults cursed as they crowded into the kitchen. 

In the commotion, the mage closed her eyes and made up her mind. She got up from her spot on the couch and quietly slipped to the bathroom, wincing at the loud _click!_ of the door as it closed. Her hands grabbed at the countertop and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her breath. 

Raven stared at herself in the mirror, sighing as she slipped Krampus’ nail out of her pocket. Her face was blank as she rolled it around in her hand, considering the events of the day and the conversations she had had, the sights she had seen, the sounds she had heard. 

So much fun, interesting things that discovering the carpet brought… and all of that completely overshadowed by the horribly complex mess of figuring out two sides of a war. A war whose participants still screamed under permafrost. Screams and other terrible noises that she was still hearing, even now.

Namely, the sickening _crack!_ of Krampus’ nail being lopped off at the edge. The very same nail that she now held to her chest. The pads of her fingers drummed against the claw and, focusing on that memory of him, she felt his energy; she swallowed under the force of his fury, his rage, all culminating in the haphazard pounding of his hooves still kicking against the insides of that copper pot. He had been a spirit on earth eons earlier than Agios Nikolaus had even been alive. Was a prison under his spirit really something he _deserved_?

Especially when he sought her out, only to inform her? Because as horrible as demons were, half-demons didn’t have much need for deceiving their perceived family. After all the sketchiness that was her meeting with Santa and Mary, could she trust him to be safe under their care?

The girl was asking herself all of this, as if considering her next move. But Raven already knew her answer. 

Smiling at her reflection to put on an air of confidence, she focused once more. Focused on Krampus, on their conversation and his disgust whenever Santa’s existence came up. On that very same wave of animosity that currently flowed out of the copper pot that contained him. 

After a second her eyes glowed white and she formed a portal underneath the demon, smack dab in the North Pole. The elves weren’t nearly as magic-conscious as Santa or his wife; no one noticed until the copper pot went quiet. But it was too late as Krampus landed safely in Selina’s bathtub, his howls immediately stopping as he blinked, stunned as he regained his bearings. The empath felt as all his anger vanished as he caught sight of her. 

She blinked back and silently held out his nail. 

A hand with four and three-fourths of a claw reached down to take it. Krampus leisurely twirled it in his hand, not moving his gaze from her face. Raven’s shoulders slumped and she weakly informed him, “We’re in Gotham, near the edge of North America, Atlantic side.” 

He didn’t say a word as she spoke, instead stroking his beard and chuckling low after a long moment passed.

Krampus stood to the best of his ability, hunching over so that his horns didn’t scuff, let alone pierce the bathroom’s ceiling. He pulled his trusty set of chains out of his belt loop and let them fall in her lap. Rather than acknowledging all that she’d done, he merely grinned down at her, “Tis the season, Raven.”

She weakly smiled at him, overly aware of the rumpled santa hat on her head and the upbeat rendition of ‘Santa Baby’ that blared through the walls, “Tis the season, cousin.”

Krampus’ grin spread until it nearly consumed his face. His shoulders shaking, he tossed his head back and laughed an ugly, booming cackle, the sound loud enough to echo throughout the apartment complex and make the adults’ freeze in place. 

Immediately, four sets of feet rushed to the door and Krampus winked, disappearing in his own shroud of magic a second before it was shoved open. Raven blinked twice at where the half-demon had just stood and turned to her parents, aiming an awkward smile at them. An even more awkward laugh forced its way out of her throat, making the loops of the chains in her lap clang against each other. 

Thinking fast, Raven shrugged her shoulders and aimed the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster, “Merry Shitscram?”


End file.
